A 17-year-old boy has died after getting into difficulty in the water at the mouth of the River Wear in England.

A search and rescue operation began at 3.20pm on Tuesday after the teenager was spotted in the water close to the Old Pier at Sunderland Yacht Club.

He was rescued by the RNLI at 5.10pm, but died in hospital.

Northumbria Police said the victim is thought to have got out of a dinghy to swim in the river.

Another 17-year-old boy was rescued from the water, along with two 17-year-old girls who were in the dinghy.

The other three teenagers are in a stable condition, Northumbria Police said.

The incident comes after the death of a man in what appears to have been a scuba diving accident in Cornwall.

Members of the public pulled the 45-year-old man and a girl from the sea at East Portholland, near St Austell, at 5.00pm on Tuesday.

The man was treated by ambulance staff but was declared dead at the scene, while the girl was taken to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

The girl's condition is not thought to be serious, Devon and Cornwall Police said.

Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith said: "The family involved were from outside the area and are believed to have been holidaying in Cornwall.

"This appears to be a tragic scuba diving accident, and our thoughts are with the man's relatives and friends at this time."