PEOPLE watched in horror yesterday as a woman fell hundreds of feet from a bridge into a river.

The 55-year-old, from Gateshead, was swept away by the current after she fell from the Tyne Bridge, Newcastle, just before 1pm.

A fire brigade boat was called to rescue her.

Paramedics tried to revive her, but she was pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, in Gateshead.

An inquest is expected to be opened and adjourned this week.

A police spokesman said: "This sort of incident is unfortunate at any time, but it is even worse when there are a lot of people around and members of the public have to witness it. It is very sad."