Girl, 13, who died after wave swept her into sea named as Oliwia Wojnowska

Updated 12.45pm.

A 13-year-old Polish girl who died after being swept out to sea at Ċirkewwa on Monday afternoon has been named as Oliwia Wojnowska.

Her body was found by CPD divers in Paradise Bay on Wednesday morning.

The discovery was made just after 10.30am, not far from where the girl was swept away by a giant wave on Monday evening. 

The search was called off as the grim discovery was confirmed. The body was brought to shore on a boat at the Marfa jetty.

Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri said in a Facebook post that the discovery was made by divers. The Police Support Response Team is assisting her family.

Earlier, Mark Zammit, a spokesperson for the CPD said the divers were scouring Paradise Bay, accompanied by CPD swimmers who were going around the boulders at various points of the bay. The CPD had 25 personnel on site. 

The Armed Forces of Malta was conducting searches from the air and on the sea while rescuers of the Civil Protection Department and the police were engaged on land. The divers could not join the operation earlier because of sea conditions in Paradise Bay.

Divers preparing to start their search on Wednesday. Photo Chris Sant Fournier.

Rescuers lean out of an AFM helicopter looking for the missing girl. Photo Chris Sant Fournier.

"Search operations resumed this morning at first light. With rough seas and strong winds expected to persist during the week, the Rescue Coordination Centre Malta urges the public to keep well clear of exposed coastal areas and avoid getting close to the shoreline," the AFM said.

A policeman looking for the missing girl on the shoreline. Photo: Malta Police

The girl was standing on the pavement behind railings watching the rough sea when a large wave swept her away on Monday evening, triggering a major rescue operation. The sea pinned the father, 49, and son, 17, against a wall as the girl was swept away. The father sustained injuries trying to grab his daughter.

A drone operator spotted the teenager's jacket on rocks close to nearby Sunset Viewpoint — facing Paradise Bay, on Tuesday afternoon.

The girl and her family were in Malta on holiday from Poland, staying at the nearby Paradise Bay Hotel. 

Wednesday was particularly important for the search operation since the weather is expected to deteriorate on Thursday as the wind strengthens again.

The site where the girl was standing when she was pulled out to sea by a wave.

A witness described the moment they fell into the water as being "swallowed up by the rough sea".

The family are receiving support from the Polish Embassy, Consul Jaroslaw Mikus told Times of Malta.

Magistrate Monica Borg Galea will carry out an inquiry into the case.

A rescue boat searches off Paradise Bay on Wednesday. Photo by Chris Sant Fournier.