The Gauteng education department on Monday confirmed that the two schoolchildren who drowned on a Durban beach in KwaZulu-Natal at the weekend are from the province.

In a statement, education MEC Panyaza Lesufi announced that the boys, aged 17 and 18, were pupils from Hoërskool Birchleigh in Ekurhuleni. The two were in grades 10 and 12 respectively.

The statement said they were in Durban from March 24 participating in a rugby tournament and were scheduled to return on March 31.

On Sunday morning, the pupils and several teachers went swimming at Durban North beach, where some pupils got into difficulties and were helped ashore by lifeguards. Later a headcount revealed that the two pupils were missing, the statement continued.

The teachers stayed at the beach searching for the boys but by evening they had not been found, leading to the teachers opening “missing person” cases at the Durban central police station.

“On Monday the teachers were told that the bodies of the two pupils were discovered about 2km north of where they had been swimming."

Earlier, SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE reported that the bodies had been found at Laguna and Country Club beaches.

A team of councillors has been deployed to the school.

“It’s disheartening that a positive sporting school trip that our learners passionately participated in ended in such a tragic manner. We convey our most heartfelt condolences to the two affected families and the school community at large,” Lesufi said.

TimesLIVE