Desperate onlookers have described how they tried to save a teenager who fell from Tower Bridge into the Thames, but only managed to retrieve his school bag.

A woman jumped into the river after seeing the boy fall on Tuesday morning, eye-witnesses said.

The boy, thought to be 13, was in full uniform when he got off the bus early before falling into the river, according to his school.

A builder who was on a site near the South Bank at the time of the incident told The Sun: ‘We all heard him screaming for help. Then a woman who was just walking past with her boyfriend grabbed a float and jumped into the river.

‘She said “why isn’t anybody helping him” before jumping in herself.

‘The woman jumped in seconds after but all she could bring back was his school jacket and his bag.

‘I saw police going through the bag and it had his school books and stationary in it, he was clearly very young.’

Police have confirmed they are still looking for the boy ‘despite an extensive search’.

The incident is being treated as a missing persons investigation.

A police spokesperson said: ‘City of London Police is leading an investigation into a missing person, working alongside our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Service.

‘We believe this is linked to an incident where a child fell into the Thames from Tower Bridge. Despite an intensive search by City of London Police, the police helicopter and marine units, this person has not yet been found.’

Earlier, a statement from the Ark Globe Academy confirmed a pupil had failed to attend on Tuesday morning, as expected.

It continued: ‘At this moment in time, there is a live police investigation in relation to the young person’s disappearance.

‘The police are treating this case as a ‘missing persons’ incident. This is obviously distressing news for the young person’s family, friends, and the wider Ark Globe Community.

‘As a school community, we are dealing with this sensitively so as not to compromise the integrity of the police investigation and we wish to respect the privacy of the family while the investigation is on-going.

‘Our hopes and prayers are with the family at this very difficult time.’

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