Two men missing after ‘entering river’ following police pursuit
SEARCH: A helicopter involved in last night’s search
By Simon Bristow, Co-Editor
Police are “extremely concerned” for the welfare of two men who are missing after they are believed to have entered the River Hull last night after a short police pursuit.
The incident prompted a dramatic multi-agency search around the confluence of the rivers Hull and Humber involving Humberside Police, HM Coastguard, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service, underwater search teams and a helicopter.
Police said the incident began when uniformed officers on patrol in Hull attempted to stop a vehicle that was being driven with a defective rear light for a routine check.
ROUGH: A search boat in the Humber
The force said: “The vehicle failed to stop and officers engaged in a short pursuit, following the vehicle to Charlotte Street where the car collided with a wall.
“It is reported that two men fled the vehicle on foot and are believed to have entered the River Hull near to Charlotte Street at approximately 8.30pm.”
As a helicopter scoured the water with a powerful searchlight, one small rescue boat travelled slowly around the mouth of the River Hull with a second moving close to the North Bank of the Humber opposite Victoria Pier.
As handfuls of onlookers, alerted by the sound of the helicopter, lined walls and footbridges overlooking the rivers, police and firefighters on foot used torches to scan mud at the water’s edge along the pier and the small dock area leading into Hull Marina. One officer at the scene was armed with a handgun in a holster around his waist.
Visibility was poor with low clouds, high winds and driving rain. The search seemed to scale back after about an hour.
Police are appealing for information and are still trying to identify the men.
START OF INCIDENT: The men are believed to have entered the River Hull after their car hit a wall in Charlotte Street
Detective Inspector Andy Crawforth, who is leading the search, said: “Following reports of two men entering the water a search was immediately launched to locate and identify them.
“We are extremely concerned for their welfare and are conducting extensive lines of enquiries in an attempt to identify and locate them, so far this has included searches by our patrol officers, the coastguard, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service and our specialist Underwater Search Team.
“Residents and the local community can expect to see an increased police presence in and around the area over the weekend whilst the search continues and enquiries remain ongoing.
RESPONSE: Emergency services arrive at the waterfront near Victoria Pier
“To help with these enquiries, I would ask anyone who believes they know who these men are or who thinks that someone they know went missing yesterday evening to contact us immediately.
“I would also urge anyone who has information that could assist our enquiries including any CCTV, doorbell footage or witnesses who were in the area at the time to contact us on our non-emergency number 101 quoting log 461 of 5 December.”