POLICE have confirmed the body found in a river at the weekend is that of a man missing for more than a week after two boats collided.
Mark Smith, 29, was one of three men sent crashing into the River Tyne after their dinghy collided with the nearby training vessel Royal Naval Reserve HMS Calliope on Thursday, August 9.
Two other men were rescued and taken to hospital that night, but Mr Smith, from the Dunston Hill area of Gateshead, was missing, feared drowned, for more than a week.
Detective Chief Inspector John Lingwood, of Newcastle Central Area Command, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of Mr Smith at this tragic time."
His body was pulled from the Tyne near the city's Crown Court building on Saturday.
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