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Football fans pay tribute to teens who died in river

News imageHandout A composite image of the three teenagers. Luke Etheridge is on the left and is looking into the camera with a straight face. He has dark, short hair which is longer on the top compared to the sides. He is wearing a blue t-shirt and lighter blue lanyard. Zara Shaw is in the middle smiling into the camera with her chin resting on her clasped hands. She has long brown hair and is wearing a black vest with a pearl bracelet on her wrist. Jackson Duke is on the right and has light brown short hair. He is smiling to the side. He is wearing a black suit jacket and beige shirt and tie. Handout
Luke Etheridge, Zara Shaw and Jackson Duke (left to right) died when the car they were in entered the River Wear

Football fans have paid tribute to three teenagers who died after their car entered a river.

Jackson Duke, 17, Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both 16, were in a black Audi A3 that came off the road at Panns Bank near Wearmouth Bridge, Sunderland, and plunged into the water on 29 September.

Football fans at the Sunderland v Brighton match held a minute's applause for the teenagers before kick-off, whilst photos of the trio were displayed at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland and Brighton players stood in a circle during the tribute, and Sunderland players also wore black armbands during the match.

Jackson and Luke were from Sunderland, and Zara was from Houghton-le-Spring, a town about seven miles (11km) from the city.

All were students at Sunderland College.

Northumbria Police said there were four people inside the car at the time and a 17-year-old boy, who managed to reach safety, had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

He has since been released on bail pending further inquiries.

News imageReuters One of Sunderland AFC's players, wearing a red and white striped football jersey, with a black armband worn tightly around the upper arm. A football flies past him in shot.Reuters
A minute's applause was held before Sunderland v Brighton, and Sunderland players wore black armbands in memory of the teenagers

In a social media post made before the game, Foundation of Light - Sunderland AFC's charity - said it was "deeply saddened" by the death of Jackson, who was part of its scholarship programme.

On Wednesday, the teenager's teammates and staff at the charity held their own minute's silence ahead of their fixture.

"Our thoughts remain with Jackson's family, friends, team mates and everyone affected by this heartbreaking tragedy," the charity said.

Luke's family described him as Sunderland's "number one fan".

"He always knew the most up-to-date Sunderland football news and shared it with us immediately," they said in a statement last week.

Zara's family said she had a "zest for life" and an "infectious laugh and smile", making her family proud "from day one".

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