The search continues for two Moroccan footballers who went missing off the country’s northern Mediterranean coast on Saturday.

Ittihad Tanger, a Moroccan club, informed the BBC that five staff members, including senior players Abdellatif Akhrif, 24, and Salman El-Harrak, 18, were on a yacht excursion near the city of Tetouan.

Emergency services rescued three individuals, including club employee Oussama Aflah, young players Soumaimane Dahdouh and Abdelhamid Maali, after they had been adrift at sea for several hours.

Ittihad Tanger president Mohamed Cherkaoui confirmed that the search for the missing players is ongoing and urged caution regarding information shared about the pair on social media.

After being rescued, Aflah spoke to a local media outlet, Tanjaoui, and recounted the events of Saturday afternoon. He mentioned that everything was normal until heavy winds suddenly took them away from the boat while they were swimming within sight of the shore.

Deputy president Anass Mrabet mentioned to Reuters that the men were not wearing life jackets when they went swimming. Ittihad Tanger has been competing in Morocco’s top flight since 2015 and secured their sole league title in the 2017-18 season.