POLICE divers were still searching the River Tyne last night for a missing man.

He was among a group of three who fled from police by jumping into an inflatable boat, which collided with a Royal Naval Reserve training vessel.

Northumbria Police said the three men leapt into the 16ft rigid inflatable dinghy after officers were called to reports of them causing trouble at a quayside pub near the new Millennium Bridge, in Newcastle.

The dinghy, which belonged to one of the men, capsized after colliding with an 18ft boat carrying three young naval cadets and two instructors from the nearby Royal Naval Reserve HMS Calliope.

Two of the men were rescued and taken, under police escort, to hospital.

One man has been questioned by police about the incident, which happened at 8.20pm on Thursday. The other is still in Newcastle's Royal Victoria Infirmary where police say he will need surgery for leg injuries.

The Northumbria Police helicopter has been drafted in to help the river search.

Police said the missing man was in his 30s and thought to be local, but they have not released any other personal details.

Detective Chief Inspector John Lingwood, of Northumbria Police, said: ''Unfortunately, as time goes by, the chances of recovering anyone alive are growing ever grimmer.

''It is a tidal river and at low and high tide flows very quickly, and this is hampering our search at the present time.''

The three cadets, aged between 11 and 16, and the two instructors were not injured.