Search for river boy, 8
RAF and mountain rescue teams yesterday joined the search for a boy believed to have been swept away by a rain-swollen river.
Ian Bell, eight, had been playing on the banks of the River Wear near the village of Sunnybrow, County Durham, when he fell into the water at around 7pm on Friday.
Locals joined the hunt for him that continued all weekend. One said: “Everyone’s out there with sticks, poking around in the build up of weed and trees. The river is very, very winding...so there’s a lot of snagging areas.”
A Durham Police spokesman said: “Police are keeping in regular contact with Ian’s family and updating them as the search continues.”