SIDON: Saturday marked the second day in a row that divers from Civil Defense teams in Sidon and Jiyye as well as the Lebanese Navy attempted to retrieve the body of Ahmad Audeh, the young man who drowned off the coast of Sidon Friday afternoon, security sources told The Daily Star.

The sources said that Audeh, who had been at Sidon's public beach, dived into the sea to rescue a man who appeared to be drowning.

However, a powerful current dragged Audeh further out to sea, where he drowned. The man he had attempted to rescue also nearly drowned, but eventually made it safely back to shore.

According to the sources, once it became clear that Audeh was in trouble, someone swam out to attempt to rescue him but returned without success.

The sources added that the divers were experiencing major difficulties in their search as a result of strong waves and fierce winds that carried the body well beyond the area in which the drowning occurred.

Meanwhile, members of Audeh's family gathered at the shore. The sources said that although the family members had lost hope that Audeh was still alive, they were awaiting the result of efforts to recover his body.