A TEENAGER from the North-East died yesterday in a kayaking accident in Scotland.

The 19-year-old got trapped under rocks on the River Tay in Perthshire.

Rescuers battled for almost seven hours to save the teenager, from the Cleveland area, but fast-flowing water prevented crews from freeing his trapped kayak.

They are still fighting against the stromng force of the water in a bid to recover his body.

Fire crews, a Royal Navy helicopter from HMS Gannet and a local rescue boat were called to the scene near Grandtully at around 1.30pm yesterday.

Tayside Police said a recovery operation is underway.

A slalom canoe event due to be held on the river has been cancelled as a mark of respect to the friends and family of the teenager.

Two men also drowned in a kayaking accident in the River Clodagh in Co Waterford, Ireland, yesterday.

The community of Portlaw, County Waterford, was in shock after the deaths last night.

They got into difficulty on the River Clodagh at around 9pm and local rescue teams recovered the first kayaker's body about an hour later. The second man's body was taken from the water at around 11.30pm.

It is understood they drowned after getting trapped in a weir of the river - a tributary of the River Suir.

The accidents follow another river death earlier this week.

Leeds University student Emily Parker, 20, from Doncaster, was with a group on the River Coe in Glencoe, Argyll, on Tuesday when her kayak overturned.