The cause of death for a teenager who died with two others when a car went into the River Wear was “consistent with drowning”, an inquest has been told.
Jackson Duke, 17, died along with Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both aged 16, when an Audi A3 plunged into the river in Sunderland city centre on September 29.
An inquest opening hearing was held for Jackson, with subsequent hearings for Luke and Zara scheduled to take place later on Monday.
Sunderland senior coroner David Place extended his condolences to Jackson’s parents who attended the seven-minute hearing.
Jackson Duke, 17
Mr Place said it was “a tragic loss for the whole of the city”.
Coroner’s officer Vicky Ross outlined the background to the incident and said Northumbria Police were called to the Panns Bank area of Sunderland on the afternoon of September 29 following reports that four people in the car had gone into the Wear.
She said one of the occupants had “self-extricated”, but the other three, including Jackson, “tragically could not” and were located later by divers, still in the Audi.
Jackson Duke, 17, and Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both aged 16, were all in the car at that time.
Ms Ross said: “The circumstances surrounding the incident are subject to an ongoing investigation by Northumbria Police.”
Mr Place said the provisional cause of death indicated by the post-mortem examination was “likely to be consistent with drowning”.
The coroner adjourned the hearing until January 21 next year.
Scene of the incident
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At Sunderland’s Premier League match against Brighton on Saturday, fans and players paid tribute to the teenagers, who studied at Sunderland College.
Before the game, players stood around the centre circle while fans applauded for a minute.
Sunderland players also wore black armbands during the match.