Police searching for the occupants of a car seen floating down the River Trent have recovered two bodies.
Specialist officers have been searching the river since the car entered the water at Hoveringham on the afternoon of Monday 1 February.
The car was located by sonar on the riverbed days later but had not been accessible because of the fast flow of water caused by flooding.
After a careful assessment of the site a specialist police dive team entered the water at around 10.30am today and were able to remove the bodies of a man and a woman.
No formal identification has yet taken place but the family of the deceased have been informed by a family liaison officer.
Work, which is being supported by a tug boat from Newark, is also underway to remove the car, which was located last week by a sonar device supplied by the North West Underwater Police Search Team.
Inspector Tim Ringer, leading the recovery operation, said: “This has been a difficult and complex operation involving dozens of people from multiple agencies.
“Underwater recoveries of this nature are always very challenging, but our divers’ work has been further complicated by the very fast flowing water at the site. It was simply not safe to attempt this work before today.
“Shortly after 10.30am this morning were able to enter the water and – as expected – discovered two bodies inside the vehicle. In line with previously agreed plans these were taken to the opposite bank and driven away for formal identification.
“Our thoughts remain with the family of the deceased who have asked for their privacy to be respected at what I know is an immensely difficult time.”
Today’s recovery comes after a large multi-agency search and rescue operation was launched following reports at 4.13pm on Monday (1 February 2021) that a car had left Hoveringham Road and gone into the river.
Witnesses reported seeing two occupants inside. While no formal identification has taken place, police believe they know who they are and their relatives are being supported by trained officers while enquiries continue to understand the full circumstances of the incident.
Nottinghamshire Police, in partnership with the Environment Agency, used a sonar technology and an underwater drone to monitor the location of the vehicle.
The sonar technology uses sound waves to generate a detailed underwater image. The equipment, which is housed on a specially adapted boat and can be used in poor visibility conditions, is usually used by Environment Agency fisheries enforcement teams to identify illegally laid nets and traps in the water.
A file will now be prepared for the coroner.
