Community tried in vain to save a young life that was taken by the very thing that attracted him - and millions of others

EVER since the disappearance of teenager Athrun was reported, the town of Llandudno had lived in collective suspense a feeling of hope punctuated by dread.

- By OWEN HUGHES

That he, a visitor, went missing on a sun-kissed day at the beach the very essence of what created family seaside resorts like Llandudno - made it all the more poignant, as did the 16-year-old’s vulnerability.

The message that the teenager had disappeared from West Shore - wearing swim shorts and no shoes - quickly spread, with the initial hope he had just wandered away from his family on that sunny Saturday just over a week ago.

But fears rapidly grew over the safety of the teen, with police, the coastguard and the RNLI launching searches that day.

It was the prelude for what was to come as search and rescue teams many of them volunteers - spent hours and then days on the coastline, in the sea, and on land, desperately trying to locate the boy.

The people of the town assisted too - walking paths, checking sites and looking out to sea in the hope of finding the visitor.