Police have found four missing teenagers dead in a car crash in Snowdonia area of Wales.
North Wales authorities discovered on November 21 the bodies of Hugo Morris, Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, and Wilf Fitchett, aged between 16-18, in a silver Ford Fiesta that was upturned and partly submerged in water in a ford near the A4085 road at Garreg.
The initial post-mortem results from an inquest at Caernarfon, Gwynedd, found that the boys died from drowning. According to a report from BBC News, the senior coroner for North Wales Police, said: “All four were travelling in a motor vehicle along the A4085 when the vehicle left the road, leading to their deaths.”
North Wales Police Supt Owain Llewellyn said in a press statement on November 21 that a member of the public found the vehicle containing the four young men had “left the road between Beddgelert and Llanfrothen.”
According to authorities, the young boys were heading to Harlech for a camping trip on Saturday November 18 and planned to set camp in the Snowdonia area on the Sunday.
Supt Owain Llewellyn said in a press statement on November 21: “Shortly after 3pm, on the afternoon of Monday 20th of November, North Wales received reports of four missing young males in the Shrewsbury area.
“It is believed that their travel to Harlech on Saturday 18th, with plans to camp in the Eryri [also called Snowdonia] area on Sunday. A large search was undertaken overnight and that continued into this morning.
“Shortly after 10am this morning, a member of the public contacted us reporting a vehicle having left the road between Beddgelert and Llanfrothen.
“Police officers attended and located a Ford Fiesta vehicle upside down partially submerged in water.
“Tragically, the bodies of four young males were recovered from within the vehicle. The families of the missing men have been informed, our thoughts are with them at this desperate time.
“Whilst the search is concluded, there is an ongoing inquiry to formally identify those in the vehicle and to understand what has led to this tragic incident.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank members of the emergency services, volunteers from the search agencies, and members of the public who have supported us with this search.”
“And finally, I would ask that the families are afforded privacy at this desperate time.”
Police told Sky News that they are asking for dash cam footage from members of the public travelling around the A4085 between November 19 and November 21 as their investigation continues.
Supt Owain Llewellyn told The Guardian: “At present, this appears to have been a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the four young men at this very difficult time.
“This has been an extensive search involving a number of different agencies and volunteers, and this is sadly not the outcome that any of us would have wanted.”
According to BBC News, a resident near the crash site said that the weather on Sunday November 19 was “atrocious”.
Harvey’s mother, Crystal Owen, told BBC News that she was not aware her son was going on a camping trip: “If I’d have known [where he was going] I wouldn’t have let him due to the winter weather conditions.”
Reports by The Standard and The Guardian news outlets indicated that Ms Owen believed the boys were visiting the house of one of their friend’s grandparents.
The four teenagers were planning to return to Shrewsbury on Monday November 20. The parents contacted the police that afternoon when the young men did not arrive home, according to a piece from The Telegraph.
Tributes have come in since the search for the four boys began. Wilf’s girlfriend, Maddi, said on social media: “I love you so much, I'm going to miss you forever.
"The sweetest and most loving boy I've ever known. I hope you know how much I love you, gorgeous. Thank you for all the time you’ve spent with me…thank you for loving me endlessly. I promise I’ll do the same for you, my sweet, sweet angel,” she said, adding: “I can’t imagine my world without you. I’m missing you so much already, but I am going to enjoy life the way you would’ve wanted, the way that you made me feel.”
The boys were A-Level students at Shrewsbury College, and pupils at Meole Brace School. The headteacher of the secondary school, Alan Doust, told The Telegraph that: “All four boys were well-thought [of] and well-known by the school community”.
The pizzeria restaurant where Harvey worked, Dough and Oil, said on Instagram that he was “always keen to chat and discover something new.”
A joint statement, published by ITV News, by Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts and Senedd MP Mabon ap Gwynfor said: “This news is truly heartbreaking and foremost as parents ourselves, our thoughts go out to the families and friends of the four young men whose lives have been lost in this tragic accident.'
"We would like to pay tribute to the emergency services and local mountain rescue teams involved in the search operation, and to members of the public for their assistance in helping to locate the vehicle.
"No words can sufficiently reflect the sorrow that this news brings to our whole community."
Ms Owen told The Standard that she feels like she is in a ‘nightmare’ following the death of her son Harvey: “I feel like I’m in a nightmare I wish I could wake up from but I’m not”.
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