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North Wales: Four missing teens drowned after crash, inquest hears

BBC Flowers at crash siteBBC
Flowers mark the site of the crash along the A4085 at Garreg in Gwynedd

Four teenagers drowned after their car overturned on a camping trip in north Wales, an inquest has heard.

Jevon Hirst, 16, Wilf Fitchett and Harvey Owen, both 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, were found in an overturned, partially submerged car in Gwynedd on 21 November.

Wilf and Harvey had both turned 17 less than a month before the crash.

A search was launched after the teenagers, from the Shrewsbury area, failed to return home.

The opening of an inquest at Caernarfon, Gwynedd, heard post-mortem examinations on all four teenagers showed the provisional cause of death to be drowning.

Kate Robertson, senior coroner for north-west Wales, said: "All four were travelling in a motor vehicle along the A4085 when the vehicle left the road, leading to their deaths."

Family photos Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo MorrisFamily photos
Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo Morris died after the car crash

Ms Robertson told the hearing that the police investigation was "ongoing".

"Only when it's complete will a full inquest take place," she said.

"At this time, speculation is unhelpful and compassion will achieve more than media curiosity."

The coroner offered her "sincerest" condolences to the families of the four boys, who were not in attendance at the brief hearing.

A book of condolences in in pub in Garreg Llanfrothen
A book of condolences in in pub in Garreg Llanfrothen has messages to the families of the teens

North Wales Police previously confirmed the bodies of the boys were found in an upside-down silver Ford Fiesta, partially submerged in water.

The car was understood to have come off the road on the A4085 in Garreg, near Tremadog in Gwynedd, about 75 miles (120km) from Shrewsbury.

Supt Owain Llewellyn said the crash appeared to have been "a tragic accident".

In a tribute to her son, Harvey's mother Crystal Owen 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."