19 May 2024 , 11:25
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A teenage boy has died after getting into difficulty in a river.
The two boys, aged 13 and 14, went missing in the water near Ovingham Bridge in Northumberland shortly after 3.30pm on Saturday.
Northumbria Police confirmed on Sunday that one of the boys, aged 14, has died, and forensics teams had arrived on the scene as a cordon was put in place.
The 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital, and the boys have not yet been named.
Northumbria Police said: ‘A boy has sadly died after getting into difficulty in the River Tyne at Northumberland.
‘Shortly after 3.30pm yesterday (Saturday), police received a report of concern for the welfare of two teenage boys who were in the river near the bridge at Ovingham.
‘Emergency services were immediately deployed to the area and one of the boys, aged 13, was rescued from the water.
‘He was taken to hospital where he currently remains in a critical condition.
‘A number of organisations conducted a thorough search of the area in a bid to locate the second boy.
‘Sadly, the 14-year-old’s body was later found in the water and he was pronounced dead at the scene.’
The parents of both boys are being supported by specially-trained officers, police said.
Chief Superintendent Helena Barron 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.’
A North East Ambulance Service spokesperson said on Saturday: ‘We were called to reports of concerns of two people in the water in Ovingham at 3.30pm.
‘We dispatched our full Hazardous Area Response Team as well as two ambulance crews, a specialist paramedic, a clinical team leader and an officer. We also requested support from Great North Air Ambulance Service.’
Northumberland Fire and Rescue Service added yesterday: ‘Teams are currently on scene at an ongoing incident at the River Tyne near Ovingham.
‘Two Swift Water Rescue units from Pegswood, an appliance from Prudhoe and a number of senior officers are present.
‘We are working with police, the ambulance service and mountain rescue at this time.’