A 14-year-old boy has died and a 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition after getting into difficulty in the River Tyne in Northumberland, police have said.
Northumbria police received a report about two teenage boys in the river near a bridge in Ovingham, a village west of Newcastle upon Tyne, shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday.
Emergency services attended the scene and one of the boys, aged 13, was rescued from the water. He was taken to hospital and remained in a critical condition, police said.
A number of organisations conducted a thorough search of the area in an effort to locate the second boy. Police said the 14-year-old’s body was later found in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ch Supt Helena Barron, of Northumbria police, said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident, and our thoughts are with the families of both boys at this difficult time as we continue to support them.
“A number of agencies were involved in the incident and their support was hugely appreciated. It is with great sadness that we could not provide a more positive update.”
The parents of both boys are being supported by specially trained officers, police added.
Emergency services including ambulance, police and fire and rescue crews were at the scene on Saturday, with the Great North air ambulance service also supporting the rescue operation.
Northumberland fire and rescue service said it had deployed a number of senior officers, as well as two swift water rescue units from Pegswood.