Four students drowned in North Wales road crash, inquest told

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. None of the teenagers' families attended the brief four-minute hearing in which Kate Robertson, HM Coroner for North West Wales, stated the provisional cause of their deaths was drowning. A major search was launched for the A-level students after they failed to return home to Shropshire from an overnight camping trip to the Snowdonia area.

Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo Morris died in the accident (North Wales Police/PA)

Their bodies were discovered on Tuesday November 21 after their silver Ford Fiesta had left the A4085, overturned and was partially submerged in water, North Wales Police previously said. On Wednesday, coroner Ms Robertson said the students were all formally identified to police by family members.

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. Ms Robertson concluded: "I offer the families my sincerest condolences. "These inquests will be adjourned pending completion of those further investigations."

(PA Graphics)

No date has been set for the full hearings.

North Wales Police has appealed for dashcam footage from anyone travelling on the A4085 between Penrhyndeudraeth and Beddgelert in either direction between 11am on November 19 and 10am on November 21. In a tribute, 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."