Four swimmers drowned and three are still missing Saturday as very dangerous ocean currents reached the Long Island and New York City beaches during the past two days. Among the missing there is also a 10-year-old girl who had been playing in the waters off Coney Island. A boy also aged 10 was rescued, authorities said.

The girl, Akira Johnson, was swimming with her cousin Tyriek at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday and they were pulled under water by the strong currents. The lifeguards intervened quickly but managed to save only the boy. Authorities said the boy didn’t suffer any bad injuries apart from a good scare. The girl was a student at Public School 188 in Bayside, Queens.

"I can hardly think of anything to say. I'm praying," said the girl’s grandfather Charles German with tears in his eyes, New York Daily News reported.

The NYPD, FDNY and Coast Guard teamed up to find the girl, but despite their considerable efforts, the girl is still missing.

"I saw the little girl's hand go up once, then it went down, and then she disappeared," said Mark Vega of Coney Island, who witnessed the scene in which lifeguards raced into the ocean in search of the two children.

The strong ocean currents were caused by a strong storm system that brought 8-foot waves to the area earlier this week, National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Connolly said.