Brother tried to save missing teenager from river

A teenager who is missing, feared drowned, had been jumping waves on a beach with his brother.

Daniel Halliday, 14, was lost to a strong current in the River Mersey despite his older brother trying to save him, his family said in a statement.

“Our worst fear is that this tragic accident has taken our lovely boy from us,” their statement, released through Merseyside Police , said.

“Daniel was jumping waves with his big brother, who tried to save him, but the current was too strong.

“Daniel is a loving son, brother, cousin, nephew and grandson.

“The family are all devastated, and we hope that we will be allowed our privacy at this time. Thank you.”

The teenager’s family are being supported by specially trained Merseyside Police officers.

Emergency services were first called to the waterside at Waterloo , Merseyside, at around 7pm last Sunday, June 30, to reports of the teenager going missing while swimming in the River Mersey, near a radar tower on Crosby Beach, with a group of friends.

Daniel’s brother and friends had come out of the river but had become separated from him and he has not been seen since.

A search was carried out by HM Coastguard but failed to locate him.