Inquests open into deaths of three teenagers after Audi entered River Wear in Sunderland

Mixed · 2Jackson Duke, 17, and Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both 16, died when an Audi A3 went into the River Wear in Sunderland city centre on 29 September. 1 2 Mixed · 2Inquest opening hearings were held on Monday 12 October, where the coroner said the provisional post-mortem cause of death was likely to be consistent with drowning. 1 2 Mixed · 2Coroner's officer Vicky Ross said Northumbria Police were called to the Panns Bank area on the afternoon of 29 September after reports that four people in the car had gone into the river; one occupant "self-extricated", while the other three "tragically could not" and were found later by divers, still in the Audi. 1 2

Right · 1Ms Ross said the circumstances remain subject to an ongoing Northumbria Police investigation. 1 Left · 1The Mirror reports that a 17-year-old boy who reached safety was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has been released on bail pending further inquiries; the Express does not mention this. 2 Mixed · 2Senior coroner David Place offered condolences to the families, calling it "a tragic loss for the whole of the city"; Jackson's parents attended a seven-minute hearing, and the Mirror adds that Zara's parents did not attend. 1 2

Left · 1Jackson and Luke were from Sunderland and Zara lived in Houghton-le-Spring, Co Durham, according to the Mirror. 2 Mixed · 2The hearings were adjourned until 21 January next year. 1 2 Mixed · 2At Sunderland's Premier League match against Brighton, players stood around the centre circle and fans applauded in tribute to the teenagers, who studied at Sunderland College; players wore black armbands. 1 2