Westport Lake search teams find body of Ryan Evans Published duration 27 June 2018

image copyright Staffordshire Police image caption Ryan Evans's school said earlier it was "deeply shocked" he was missing

The body of a 13-year-old boy who went missing while swimming in a lake with friends has been found.

Rescue crews had been searching for Ryan Evans since he and two other boys were spotted "in distress" at Westport Lake in Stoke-on-Trent, on Monday.

The other boys, aged 12 and 13, made it safely out of the lake, Staffordshire Police said.

In a tweet , the force confirmed they had found Ryan's body following an extensive search for him.

"Ryan's family have been informed and our thoughts and condolences are with them at this very difficult time," a spokesman said.

"His family and friends, who were at the lake with him on Monday, are being supported by police family liaison officers.

image copyright Staffordshire Fire Service image caption Firefighters were among emergency crews at the scene

He thanked family, friends and the community for help in assisting the emergency services in the search for Ryan.

Earlier, Ch Insp John Owen described the rescue operation as challenging, explaining the lake was "extremely thick with weeds".

Nottinghamshire Police also deployed a specialist dive team to search the water and specially trained dogs were used in the search operation.

At its deepest, the lake is 2.9m (9.5ft) and on average between 1.5m and 2m (4.9-6.5ft), Stoke-on-Trent City Council said.