VOLUNTEER lifeboatmen have been praised after rescuing two men who were thrown out of their speedboat while fishing at the weekend.

One of the men was still in hospital in a critical condition last night, while the other was treated at the scene for hypothermia.

The alarm was raised when a member of the public saw a speedboat with two people on board capsize at the entrance to the River Tyne at 1.30pm on Saturday.

Coastguard officials sent members of the Tynemouth RNLI Inshore Lifeboat and Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade to the scene.

Rescuers Doug Nicholson and David Thompson went to the two men, from Staffordshire, in a lifeboat, while another team on shore, including Richard Ilberton, provided backup.

Mr Ilberton said: "We got a report of two people in the water opposite the Collingwood Monument, on the north side of the Tyne.

"The lifeboat reached the men within minutes. One of them was found unconscious face-down in the water and had to be resuscitated.

"They were taken to the boathouse on the Fish Quay, where the more seriously injured man showed no breathing or pulse.

"We put him on oxygen and resuscitation was continued until the paramedics arrived and took over."

A police helicopter, which was in the area at the time, searched the river to make sure there were no other people involved.

An air ambulance, which had also been alerted, was unable to land, and the men were taken to North Tyneside General Hospital by ambulance.

Coastguard official Graham Dawson said: "We would like to commend the efforts of the lifeboat crew and Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade for rescuing the two people."

Parts of the 14ft vessel were recovered during low tide yesterday. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined.