Three arrested after man goes mising in River Bann

Three men have been arrested by police investigating the disappearance of a man who went missing in the River Bann in County Londonderry.

Rescue teams are searching the Bann close to Kilrea after reports that a man got into difficulty in the water at 18:00 BST on Saturday.

Police believe the missing man is a 21 year old from the Ballymena area. The search resumed on Sunday morning.

Three men, aged 25, 26 and 30, are being questioned.

On Saturday night, about 40 people joined in the search near the Bann Road bridge.

Sean McCarry from the Community Rescue Service said canoeists saw the man struggling and raised the alarm.

"We are now conducting a major search," he said.

The police helicopter was also at the scene.

Mr McCarry said that he understood that an attempt had been made to rescue the man, but it failed.

"Somebody tried to help him but had to go back to the bank," he said.

"We now have four teams at the river - community service boats and crews are on the river."

Police said a man was seen jumping into the river.

They want to speak to a group of young men who left the area in a red car a short time later.

They have appealed for witnesses to come forward.