Man missing after river rescue attempt

Emergency teams were called to Panns Bank in Sunderland

A man is missing after getting into difficulty in the River Wear, where another man tried to rescue him.

Police were called to Panns Bank in Sunderland just after 17:00 BST on Saturday, to reports two males were seen in the water.

The second man managed to get himself out, Northumbria Police said, and was taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital.

The man who he tried to rescue has not been found, despite a four-hour operation involving Sunderland and Tynemouth RNLI and the coastguard.

The search involved RNLI rescue teams from Sunderland and Tynemouth

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Emergency services were deployed to the scene where one of the men had brought himself out of the water.

“Officers and partner agencies currently remain in the area to carry out inquiries and to locate the second man.

“We would ask the public not to gather in order to allow for those at the scene to carry out their duties."

Anyone with information is being asked to contact police.