The parents of a 17-year-old student who escaped from a car seconds before it plunged into a river said today he was devastated at the death of his two friends.

Sam Glaister managed to scramble out of an open window of his mother's Citroen before it sank into the water.

He was uninjured in the incident, which happened in Knaresborough on Saturday, but his two friends, Iain Cole, 20, and Nicholas Parkin, 19, both of Harrogate, died.

Malcolm and Nancy Glaister, Sam's parents, who live in Riverside Park, Otley, said it was a tragic loss.

"While we are thankful beyond belief that Sam is alive, we are devastated, as is Sam, at the tragic loss of the lives of his two friends," they said in a statement issued by their solicitor Anthony Conway, at the scene.

"As parents, and a couple who know the two boys concerned, our hearts go out to their parents and families in their grief."

News of the tragedy was broken to Sam's father Malcolm, a merchant seaman who is currently in the South China Sea, and today arrangements were being made for him to return to Otley. His wife Nancy is a secretary and Sam has an older brother and sister.

The three boys had been in a car park at the beauty spot at 2am on Saturday when the M-registered Citroen ZX rolled into the River Nidd.

Sam, who was in the front passenger seat of the car, escaped and raised the alarm.

Teams of firefighters and police were unable to rescue the trapped boys because the river had flooded after heavy rain.

Sam was taken to Harrogate District Hospital suffering from severe shock but was released on Saturday afternoon.

Police said he was seriously traumatised and had been sedated by a doctor.

They have spoken to him briefly about the incident but hope that later he will be able to tell them exactly what happened.

The bodies of Iain Cole and Nicholas Parkin were recovered from the river yesterday afternoon.

A crane had to be used to winch Mrs Glaister's car from ten feet of water, after police divers managed to locate the vehicle.

Acting Chief Inspector Nigel Morgan, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "It was dangerous for the divers when they went into the water because of the strong currents.

"Now that we have recovered the bodies, a full investigation into the cause of the accident will take place and a report will be sent to the coroner."

He admitted it had been "frustrating " that it took 36-hours to recover the car from the river.

One neighbour in Riverside Park, who did not want to be named, said: "Everybody will be shocked when they hear what happened to Sam.

"It seems like he has been very lucky, but it must be terrible for him to live with the fact that his two friends are dead."

Ansha Zafal, the owner of Pennies store, close to the Glaister's home, said people had been talking about what had happened.

"It's very sad that these two boys have died and it will be very hard for this young man to get over that.

"His family must be so glad that he managed to get out of that car in time."

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