THE bodies of four missing teenagers were found in an upside down car, partially submerged in water.
Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris, has been missing since Sunday morning (November 19). The teenagers, one aged 16, two aged 17 and one aged 18, were planning to camp in Eryri (Snowdonia).
A large search was undertaken but tragically their bodies were recovered from a silver Ford Fiesta which had left the road.
Earlier today, police cordoned off a four mile stretch of the A4085 between the villages of Garreg and Port Aberglaslyn, near Porthmadog.
Speaking outside North Wales Police HQ in St Asaph just after 4.30pm, Superintendent Owain Llewelyn, of North Wales Police, said: "Shortly after 3pm on the afternoon of Monday, November 20, North Wales Police received reports of four missing young males from the Shrewsbury area. It is believed that they travelled to Harlech on Saturday 18 with plans to camp in the Eryri 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 would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank members of the emergency services, volunteers from the search and rescue agencies and members of the public who have supported us with this search.
"We would finally ask that the families are afforded privacy at this desperate time."
The young men were students at the Shrewsbury Colleges Group and were studying A-levels with the college.
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Emyr Owen, who lives near to where police have closed the road, told the BBC that the weather conditions on Sunday were severe.
He told the BBC: "I was woken about 5am by the sound of the helicopter above, so I got up to look through the window.
"The policeman told us all he'd had the orders to close the road - you can't go through there towards Beddgelert.
"It was atrocious weather on Sunday."
Following the recovery of the vehicle earlier today, a Welsh Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "We were called on November 21, at approximately 10.08am, to reports of an incident near the A4085 between Nantmor and Tan-Lan.
"We sent an operations manager, two emergency ambulances and two Cymru High Acuity Response Units to the scene where we were supported by the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service in two Wales Air Ambulance charity helicopters.”
HM Coastguard responded to a request for assistance from police in a search in the Porthmadog area shortly before 3am on November 21.
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