Three teenagers have died after a car plunged into the River Wear near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland, police said.
Emergency services were called to the riverbank shortly before 1.30pm after the vehicle reportedly smashed through a barrier and entered the water. No other vehicles are believed to have been involved.
Four teenagers were understood to have been in the car. The 17-year-old driver reached safety and was taken to hospital, where he was arrested and remains in police custody.
The bodies of two teenage boys and a teenage girl were recovered from the river.
Emergency services at River Wear incident
Police, firefighters, ambulance crews, coastguard teams and the RNLI attended the scene. Rescue boats were deployed, while a coastguard helicopter was used during the search.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service sent two fire appliances, its fire boat and a number of officers to assist with the operation. The North East Ambulance Service also sent an emergency ambulance, a clinical team leader, three officers, an air ambulance and its Hazardous Area Response Team.
The Great North Air Ambulance Service said its critical care team was activated at 1.35pm and arrived at the scene at 1.53pm, with a doctor and paramedic on board.
The area was cordoned off, and members of the public were asked to avoid it as the emergency response continued. Dozens of onlookers gathered on both sides of the river.
Chief Superintendent Scott Cowie, area commander for Sunderland, said: “This is a truly tragic incident where three young people have lost their lives.
“Our thoughts are with their families, friends and all those impacted by what has happened.
“We will continue to support them in any way that we can and ask that their privacy is respected at this time.
“I want to thank all of our partners who supported the multi-agency search efforts.”
He said the investigation was at an early stage and urged people not to speculate about the circumstances on social media or in the community, warning of the potential impact on the families involved.
Kim McGuinness, Mayor of North East England, said rescue teams were at the scene and that people must “hope and pray for those involved”. She added that she had asked the incident commander to keep her updated while emergency services carried out their work.
Northumbria Police said officers were investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision. Anyone with information, including CCTV or dashcam footage, has been asked to contact the force, quoting reference NP-20260929-0589.
