Four teenagers who crashed in Snowdonia drowned, coroner states
Police searching for Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris have found four dead bodies.
The four teenagers who died in a road crash while on a camping trip in Snowdonia all drowned, a coroner has said.
The inquests into the deaths of Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, all from the Shropshire area, were opened and adjourned in Caernarfon on Wednesday.
Their bodies were discovered on Tuesday, 21 November after their silver Ford Fiesta had left the A4085, overturned and was partially submerged in water, North Wales Police previously said.
Kate Robertson, HM coroner for North West Wales stated their provisional cause of deaths was drowning after the car left the road.
She said: “The four young men were travelling in a vehicle along the A4085 at Llanfrothen when the vehicle has left the road. The circumstances of which resulted in the deaths of all four occupants.
“Post-mortem examinations have been undertaken and the provisional causes of death provided, pending inquests.”
A police investigation remains ongoing, she said.
None of the teenagers’ families attended the brief four-minute hearing.
No date has been set for the full hearings.
Yahoo News UK outlines everything we know so far.
What happened?
Four young men, all A-level students from Shrewsbury College and in their late teens, were thought to have gone missing about 80 miles from home.
The alarm was raised when the boys didn't return home as planned on 20 November, and North Wales Police issued an urgent appeal.
On 21 November the force confirmed it had found their car in the Porthmadog area near Snowdonia, now known as Eryri.
A police cordon was put in place near the village of Garreg on the A4085, about three miles from Penrhyndeudraeth, while ambulances and air ambulance helicopters were also sent to the scene.
They confirmed that they had recovered four bodies and that the families of the boys had been informed, adding: "Our thoughts are with them at this desperate time".
The force added that while the "search is concluded", investigations were still under way to identify the bodies and to understand what led to the "tragic incident".
Who are the boys?
The four college students were Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett (who was originally named by police as Henderson) and Hugo Morris.
Crystal Owen, the mother of Harvey, 17, a student at Shrewsbury College doing his A-levels, described him as “a unique and special person who touched so many people along the way”.
She said: “There is never a time to lose a child but this feels so much more gut-wrenching as he was literally thriving in life and had everything to live for.”
Wilf’s girlfriend, Maddi Corfield, posted a tribute online, writing: “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.”
'It's incredibly hard to believe that this has happened'
In a joint statement when it was announced that their bodies had been found, local MP Liz Saville Roberts and local Senedd member 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.”
The area’s MP Daniel Kawczynski said: “On behalf of all constituents in Shrewsbury and surrounding villages, I would like to extend my deepest condolences and sympathy to the families and friends who have been tragically affected by this terrible loss of life.
“The whole country were desperately hoping Jevon, Harvey, Wilf, and Hugo would be found safe and well and this news is devastating.
“This news is truly heartbreaking, and my thoughts go out to all those affected by this tragic news.”
Shrewsbury Colleges Group, where the boys were A-level students, offered “deepest condolences to the family and friends” of the teenagers and said it had put in place a range of support measures to help those affected.
