A Polish teenager is feared to have drowned after he tried to swim across a Scottish river to reach a music festival.

Mateusz Wilamowski, 16, was named yesterday as a huge rescue operation continued for him along the River Tay.

Mateusz was dragged under the water as he and two friends tried to access the Rewind music festival in the grounds of Scone Palace in Perthshire on Sunday.

The 16-year-old had moved from his homeland of Poland to live with relatives in Scotland only three months ago.

His parents in Poland are now in close contact with Tayside Police as efforts continue to find their son. More than 30 officers are involved in the search.

It is understood that Mateusz and his friends got into trouble after attempting to cross a stretch of the River Tay to get to the music festival, which featured Human League and Rick Astley on the bill.

Several people who had been on the river bank in the North Muirton area of Perth, near to Woody Islands, had decided to try to cross the water to attend the event.

While one of Mateusz's friends made it to an island halfway across the river, another had to be helped back to the riverbank. Mateusz waded into the water before the current knocked him off his feet and he was swept under the surface.

Police searched along the banks and in the water yesterday in a stretch of the river about 200 yards downstream from the Rewind tent.

A spokesman for Police Scotland said: "The initial search on Sunday night involved Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, supported by the ARCC helicopter from Lossiemouth.

"The search resumed yesterday morning involving the police and fire services and including the Police Scotland helicopter and a specialist police dive team from Glasgow, as well as the police Search and Rescue Unit in Tayside and the civilian Tayside Mountain Rescue Team.

"Continuing throughout the day, it involved around 30 people in the physical search of the river, beginning from where Mateusz was last seen in the North Muirton area and heading downstream. Searches are being undertaken along the riverbank and around the islands, with boats also assisting the river search."

Resident William McPhee said people were generally aware of how dangerous the river could be. He said: "There were a few people in the water at the weekend and it looked like some were getting across to where the music was coming from.

"The river was pretty low but people round here would generally know how strong the currents can be and how dangerous it is. It's a terrible tragedy for the boy and his family."

A Police Scotland spokesman confirmed the identity of the missing teenager as Mateusz Wilamowski and said he had been staying with relatives in Perth since arriving in Scotland in May.

He added: "In releasing a ­favourite photo of Mateusz, his distraught family also request their privacy is respected at this extremely difficult time."

Mariusz Ciepala, 16, one of the two friends who had tried to cross the River Tay with Mateusz returned to the scene to help. He said: "It's unbelievable this has happened. We had been at the festival and just thought it would be quicker to cross at the shallow part. I almost got swept away too but my friend caught me.

"I don't know what happened. We were shouting on Mateusz but he just kept going and we never saw him again."