South Yorkshire Police started a search after two other boys, aged 10 and eight, raised the alarm.

They told a workman their friend had fallen into the River Don in Rotherham at about 6.45pm on Thursday night.

Divers, the fire service and a police helicopter joined the search and the body was found at about 8pm.

Relatives informed

A police spokesman said: "The boy's body was found submerged some distance from the spot where he had last been seen. Paramedics and staff at Rotherham District General Hospital tried to resuscitate him but tragically he died."

"It seems he had been in the water for over an hour before he was found."

The youngster's relatives have been informed and the body formally identified. However, he has yet to be named.

The spokesman said: "This is an awful tragedy for a family to suffer. They are all understandably distraught."

A police investigation will now take place into the cause of the tragedy. The two boys are due to be interviewed about the drowning later.

Other deaths

The tragedy follows the death of Leeds schoolgirl Gemma Carter, 13, who drowned while on holiday in northern France on Tuesday.

Her body was recovered from the sea after schoolfriends reported her missing during a visit to the beach at Le Touquet.

And a seven-year-old boy died this week after falling into the Leeds-Liverpool canal at Blackburn, Lancashire.

Shaun Smith, from the town, is thought to have slipped while playing with a friend.