Three teenagers have died and a teenage boy has been arrested after a car entered the water in the River Wear in Sunderland on Tuesday (29 September).
The car came off the road at Panns Bank near Wearmouth Bridge and entered the water.
Four people were understood to be in the black Audi A3 at the time.
The bodies of two teenage boys and a teenage girl have been recovered from the water. Their next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
A 17-year-old boy managed to reach safety and is in hospital with non-serious injuries.
He has been arrested in connection with the incident and is in police custody.
Northumbria Police said: “An investigation is under way into the circumstances of what happened. At this early stage no other vehicles are believed to have been involved.”
A large scale rescue operation took place with police, ambulance crews, the RNLI and Coastguard on the scene.
Chief Supt 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 added: “Our investigation is at a very early stage in establishing the circumstances surrounding what has happened.
“We would ask members of the public not to speculate about the incident both on social media and in the community.
“In doing so, please be mindful of the potential impact such commentary could have on the families of those involved in this incident.”