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Body of 16-year-old found after car entered river

Aimee Dexter,in Wisbech St Mary,
Lewis Adamsand
Zoe Applegate
Qays Najm/BBC A side-on view of a police officer in black uniform, wearing a white and blue police flat cap, standing on the grassy bank of the River Nene looking down to the water. Other people are huddled behind him. There are trees in the background. It looks to be twilight.Qays Najm/BBC
A 16-year-old girl's body was recovered from the River Nene by police divers on Wednesday

The body of a 16-year-old girl has been found by divers and searches continue for a missing male teenager after a car entered a river.

The body was found after the vehicle left the road on North Brink and ended up in the River Nene, in Wisbech St Mary, at about 20:20 GMT on Tuesday.

Five young people, aged between 16 and 18, were in the car, but a male and a female among the group failed to get out.

Det Insp Craig Wheeler, from Cambridgeshire Police, said the female's body was located within the vehicle and described the tragedy as "absolutely horrendous" for "everyone involved".

He said efforts to find the missing male would continue in a "timely manner".

Qays Najm/BBC Det Insp Craig Wheeler is wearing a black and white police cap, a white short-sleeved shirt and a black tie. Behind him is a stretch of road and river. He is looking at the camera.Qays Najm/BBC
Det Insp Craig Wheeler said the recovery operation had been very difficult

"We have a team of family liaison officers with the families," said Wheeler, speaking from the scene.

"They were here today at the scene... we're trying to make sure they're well looked after and we'll update them as soon as we have some news that might offer them some comfort and answers around what's happened in this tragic incident."

The search teams included divers from the Metropolitan Police, but Wheeler said the river's tidal conditions contributed to makingthe "recovery mission very, very difficult".

Qays Najm/BBC An aerial image of the A47 running next to the river, with North Brink on the other. The area is mainly rural with a few houses and industrial buildings in clusters.Qays Najm/BBC
The stretch of the River Nene near Wisbech is bordered by the A47 (right) and the road on North Brink

Two females and one male escaped the vehicle and were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, police said.

The car was travelling southbound along North Brink, a narrow road on the outskirts of Wisbech town centre, that runs alongside the River Nene.

A grass bank separates the area between the road and river.

Janine Machin/BBC A close-up of three bunches of flowers placed on a grassy bank next to the river.Janine Machin/BBC
Floral tributes and notes have been left at the scene

North Brink was expected to remain closed for the rest of Wednesday, the force said.

Police officers urged anyone who had witnessed the incident or had dashcam footage to contact them.

Fire crews from four stations have also been assisting at the scene.

Qays Najm/BBC A yellow and blue police car is parked up on a narrow country track. Two uniformed police officers are walking towards the car with their backs turned. There is a line of trees or hedging to the left of the frame.Qays Najm/BBC
Steve Barclay, Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, said the incident was "appalling news"

Steve Barclay, the Conservative MP for North East Cambridgeshire, said the incident was "appalling news" to hear.

"The thoughts of the whole community will be with the families of those involved in this heartbreaking tragedy," he added.

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