Man questioned after two boys die in Severn

The driver of a car in which two boys drowned when it plunged into a river was being questioned by police last night.

Michael Pritchard, 13, and his friend Alex Wills, 12, were being driven to pick up a Chinese takeaway in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, when the car veered down a riverbank and into the river Severn.

The driver escaped from the submerged car and alerted emergency services, but the boys were trapped inside and rescuers were unable to reach them in time to save them.

Police would not name the man being questioned but described the incident as a "tragic accident".

The car, a blue Vauxhall Cavalier, was eventually winched from the river and the bodies were found inside. Resuscitation attempts failed and both were declared dead.

"An investigation into this tragic accident has now commenced and one man in his thirties from the Shrewsbury area is in custody, helping the police with their inquiries," a West Mercia Police spokesman said.

Both boys and the driver were from Shrewsbury. Alex Wills' family said they had complained to the council about the safety of the road, which runs parallel to the Severn. Police said they were investigating how the car came off the road in Sydney Avenue, Castlefields, just before 1am on Saturday.

The single-track road follows the river for about half a mile, in some places only metres from the river bank. Alex's stepfather, Derek Hinton, said residents had campaigned for safety improvements.

Mr Hinton, 52, said: "It's an absolute tragedy. The family cannot comprehend what has happened here. Alex was a bright lad, just a normal 12-year-old. It's a nightmare.

"We have been complaining for 20 years to the council to take measures to stop an accident like this happening, but no one listened. Two young lives have now been lost."

A Shropshire Fire Service spokesman said cars had been lost in the river before. At least one man is known to have died when his car plunged into the river near to the site of Saturday's accident.

Police have appealed for any witnesses to the incident to contact them.