The father of a 14-year-old boy who went missing in a river in County Antrim on Thursday afternoon has said he is "praying for a miracle".
The body of a boy has been recovered from the River Bush in Stranocum, County Antrim.
It is understood James Elliott jumped into the River Bush at Stranocum to rescue a dog and was swept away.
The discovery was made during a search for 14-year-old James Elliott who jumped into the river to rescue a dog on Thursday and was swept away.
Dozens of friends and relatives joined a massive search operation for the boy which was called off as darkness fell.
The search included the Coastguard, Bann River Rescue, RAF, Royal Navy, Fire and Rescue Service, police search teams and the police helicopter.
The search, due to resume on Saturday, included a 15-mile stretch of the river from Stranocum to Portballintrae.
A post mortem examination is due to be carried out on the boy's body later.
His father, another 14-year-old boy and the dog were rescued from the river on Thursday.
Dozens of friends and relatives had taken part in the massive search operation.
James, is a pupil at Dalriada Grammar School in Ballymoney, and a talented footballer with Linfield FC's youth section.
James was a pupil at Dalriada Grammar School in Ballymoney and a talented footballer with Linfield FC's youth section.
His PE teacher, John Devlin, has been watching the rescue operation and said they were hoping he was still alive.
"This is going to be devastating when we all come back together into school next week," he said.
"But we still stand here, hope and cling to the thought that he is hanging on out there.
The search area is along the River Bush from Stranocum to Portballintrae
"He is a very gritty individual and we can only just hope and pray at this point."
It is understood James represented Northern Ireland at a youth football tournament last year.
The principal at Dalriada Grammar School, Tom Skelton, said the teenager, who is to enter Year 11, "wanted to be nothing but a professional football player".
"He was a very bright, bubbly boy, always full of beans," he said.
"I was just talking to the caretaker this morning who said he was constantly having to retrieve the ball from the roof of the school for him - he loved playing football, he was well-liked by his classmates and held in high regard by the staff.
"We're absolutely devastated by the news."
DUP assembly member Mervyn Storey said the situation looked very bleak.
We're absolutely devastated by the news Tom SkeltonSchool principal
"It is very difficult when you have the situation when you are hoping that it's a rescue but looks more and more like a recovery," he said.
Ballymoney mayor Frank Campbell said the river was "running really fast" because of the amount of rain that had fallen in the last few days.
A number of agencies have been involved in the search, including HM Coastguard, the RAF, Bann River Rescue, the Royal Navy and the Fire Service.
Police search teams and the police helicopter have also been involved.
