An Audi A3 in which three teenagers died after it plunged into the River Wear has been recovered from the water in a painstaking operation.
A 17-year-old boy who was also in the vehicle when it crashed in Sunderland city centre at around 1.30pm on Tuesday has been arrested and remained in police custody.
The recovery operation involved police divers entering the river and attaching a harness to the black hatchback, then it was lifted out using a crane.
Shortly after 1pm on Wednesday, the car began to emerge from the river, upside down and showing damage to its front bumper and windscreen.
A wide police cordon was held around Panns Bank, where the car was understood to have gone through a barrier and dropped into the river.
Water cascaded from the Audi as it was held in mid-air during the recovery, which coincided with low tide.
The vehicle was placed back on dry land, on its roof, just less than 24 hours after it entered the river.
The operation brought onlookers to the riverside downstream from the Wearmouth Bridge.
Earlier, people threw bunches of flowers into the Wear close to the scene.
The bodies of two teenage boys and a teenage girl were recovered from the water on Tuesday evening.
The 17-year-old survivor managed to reach safety and was taken to hospital with non-serious injuries before his arrest.
Chief Supt Scott Cowie, area commander for Sunderland, said on Tuesday night: “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.”
Last week, police chiefs warned that more than 23,000 people have been killed or seriously injured involving a driver aged 17 to 24 in the past five years.
Analysis of figures from the Department of Transport between 2021 and 2025 show that the accidents included 7,500 crashes where the driver was in that age bracket, 4,000 who were passengers being driven by a young driver, and 11,600 other road users including pedestrians and people in other cars.
Around a fifth of all road accidents that end with death or serious injury involve young drivers, defined as those aged 17 to 24.
Read MoreFactory closure plan will ‘future proof’ Greggs, says boss as 740 jobs cut
Saga ‘significantly ahead’ of growth plans as turnaround bears fruit
