Mother of one of four boys killed in Snowdonia says ‘nightmare will never end’

The mother of one of the four boys whose bodies were pulled from the wreck of a car in Snowdonia has said her “nightmare will never end” amid fears the teenagers lay undiscovered for days.

The bodies of Harvey Owen, Jevon Hirst, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris were recovered from an overturned car found submerged in water on Tuesday.

The teenagers were feared missing after they were last heard from on Sunday morning following a camping trip to Snowdonia National Park, north Wales.

As tributes poured in from across their community in Shropshire, Crystal Owen, the mother of Harvey, said on social media: “I feel like I’m in a nightmare I wish I could wake up from but I’m not.

“I just wanted to say I do appreciate people’s kindness, but no amount of messages is going to help me overcome this. Nothing will make this nightmare go away.”

The boys’ worried parents reported their sons as missing on Monday and a major search operation was launched involving helicopters, the coastguard and mountain rescue teams.

North Wales Police confirmed on Tuesday that the bodies of the teenagers, who had travelled from Shrewsbury, were recovered from the wreck of a silver Ford Fiesta.

The vehicle appeared to have come off the road in the village of Garreg, five miles from the town of Porthmadog, officials said.

North Wales Police Supt Owain Llewelyn said: “Police officers attended and located a Ford Fiesta on its roof partially submerged in water. Tragically the bodies of four young males were recovered from within the vehicle.

“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.”

As the investigation continues, the teenager’s community in Shropshire is grieving.

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.

Trinity Churches said it would offer “time and space to pray” at the Trinity Centre in Meole Brace from 9am on Wednesday, while Shrewsbury Abbey is open all day for prayer and reflection.