Two men missing after entering river to evade police

Two men have gone missing after entering a river while trying to evade police.

A major search involving the Coastguard, Humberside Fire and Rescue service and a police underwater search team is underway to locate the men.

Officers have said they are ‘extremely concerned’ for the two men who are believed to have entered the River Hull on Friday evening.

Humberside Police said patrol officers in Hull tried to stop the vehicle after noticing it had a defective brake light at around 8.25pm.

The car failed to stop for the police, prompting a pursuit, before the vehicle collided with a wall on Charlotte Street.

Police believe the two men may have entered the river just five minutes later, after fleeing the vehicle and running away from the officers.

Detective Inspector Andy Crawforth, who is leading the search, has urged members of the public with any information about the two men to contact the police urgently.

He 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.’

He added that residents may see an increased police presence in the area over the weekend while officers and other emergency service teams continue the search for the two men.

‘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,’ he said.

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