Teenage girls pulled from River Wear in rescue
Two girls had to be pulled from the River Wear in Sunderland after one fell and the other jumped in to save her.
A member of the public spotted the teenagers near the Queen Alexandria Bridge on Wednesday, threw them a lifebelt and raised the alarm.
A police helicopter, the fire brigade, and RNLI lifeboats were sent and the girls were pulled from the water.
They were treated for hypothermia. The RNLI said the girl who had fallen had been on the wrong side of railings.
Paul Nicholson, of Sunderland RNLI, said: "One of the girls was on the wrong side of the safety railings on the quayside - we don't know how - when she fell in.
"She wasn't a good swimmer and was struggling and her friend jumped in to try and help her.
"When rescuers got there there was a lifebelt in the water and they were holding on to a rescue line."