Two teenage girls, whose bodies were found by police divers in the River Wear in Tyne and Wear, have been named.
Passers-by tried to rescue the pair after they got into
difficulty near a viaduct in Fatfield, Washington just before 15:00 BST
on Tuesday.The bodies of Chloe Fowler, 14, from Shiney Row and Tonibeth Purvis, 15, from Barmston, were later discovered.
Northumbria Police said inquiries would now be carried out into the circumstances surrounding the deaths.
Onlookers said they believed the girls jumped into the river for "fun" and to "keep cool" but this has not been confirmed by police.
Northumbria Police said the river was still tidal at the point where the girls went missing and there was a lot of debris and foliage in the water.
Supt Alan Veitch said: "This is an absolute tragedy and our deepest sympathies are with the families of the two girls at what must be a devastating time for them.
"They are obviously completely distraught at what has happened and we're doing everything possible to support them at this time.
"At this stage we believe a group of friends had been at the riverside and two went into the water and the others tried to help, along with members of the public."
'Sobbed my heart out' About 100 emergency services staff and members of the public were involved in the search, which took about six hours.
Joss Both, 14, who was in Chloe's class at school, said: "She was absolutely lovely, always smiling and laughing, she didn't have a bad bone in her body. She had lots of friends who loved her and she was really, really nice.
About 100 emergency services staff and members of the public helped with the search
"She was so funny as well, she had a wicked sense of humour... she always made you giggle."I am absolutely gutted that she has gone. I sobbed my heart out last night."
Supt Veitch added: "We're working to get appropriate support for witnesses, in particular the young people who were with the girls and saw what happened.
"This has been traumatic for them and we're keen they are able to access support services.
"Although we are investigating the circumstances of this incident it's always worth reminding people of the dangers of going into water such as rivers and lakes.
"The River Wear is a fast-flowing, powerful river with strong currents which can be deceptive. We'd advise anyone not to enter the water."