A 17-year-old boy has been arrested after three teenagers were killed in a car crash into a river.
Earlier this afternoon, an Audi A3 went into the River Wear in Sunderland killing two teenage boys and a teenage girl, Northumbria Police said.
The force received reports that the Audi had come off the road at Panns Bank near Wearmouth Bridge.
They said the vehicle entered the water at around 1.30pm with four passengers in the car at the time.
Following a search, the bodies of two teenage boys and a teenage girl were recovered from the water.
The 17-year-old was arrested after reaching safety, and is now in hospital with non-serious injuries.
A major emergency services operation was under way after the vehicle went into the water as rescue teams searched the water.
They investigated the area near Wearmouth Bridge as police, ambulance crews, the RNLI and Coastguard swarmed the scene.
The bodies of three teenagers were recovered from the water
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PA
Emergency officers searched the river this evening while fog made it harder to see on the water.
Two fire engines and a fire boat have been deployed to assist with the rescue operation, the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) said.
A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Shortly before 1.30pm today, we received a report of a car entering the River Wear near Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland.
“Emergency services are currently at the scene. We would ask members of the public to avoid the area.”
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