A man has died, and another man is in a serious condition after getting into difficulty in the North Sea.
Emergency services were called to Cullercoats beach at 6.30pm on Sunday (July 19), where two men were said to be struggling. Both men were recovered from the water.
One of the men, aged in his 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
A second man, also in his 20s, was taken to hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
The next of kin of both men have been contacted and are being supported by officers.
Chief Inspector Simon Wotton, of Northumbria Police, said: “This is an absolutely tragic incident and the thoughts of everyone here at Northumbria Police are with anyone affected by this incident.
“We’d like to thank our partner agencies who were there working alongside police last night, and I am sure they are just as saddened by this outcome as we are.
“We know this will be a greatly shocking and distressing incident for those involved and for the local community, but we’d ask the public to respect the privacy of anyone who may have been affected.”
A report has been made to the coroner.
A spokesperson for North East Ambulance Service said: "We were called to an incident at Cullercoats Bay at 6.25pm on Sunday.
"We dispatched three double-crewed ambulances, a clinical team leader, a duty officer, two vehicles from our Hazardous Area Response Team and were supported by Great North Air Ambulance.
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"One patient was checked over and discharged at the scene, and one patient was taken to Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital."
A spokesperson for the Great North Air Ambulance Service added: "Our critical care team was activated at 6.39pm to an incident at Cullercoats Bay.
"We had a paramedic and doctor on board our aircraft, and they arrived on scene at 6.54pm.
"Our team worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service."
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