4 Teenage Boys Found Dead in Car Following ‘Nightmare’ Camping Trip Accident

The high school students were found in an upturned vehicle in the Snowdonia region of the U.K.

Four teenage boys have been found dead in a car following a camping trip accident in the U.K.

Police in Wales said the bodies had been recovered from a vehicle that appeared to have left the road in a statement shared on Facebook Tuesday.

Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo Morris, who were aged between 16 and 18, had been missing since Sunday morning.

“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,” North Wales Police Superintendent Owain Llewellyn said in the statement.

“This has been an extensive search involving a number of different agencies and volunteers, and this is sadly not the outcome that any of us would have wanted,” he continued. “We would ask that the family be afforded the appropriate privacy and respect.”

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The authorities added that an investigation into what led to the incident is ongoing.

According to the BBC, a member of the public alerted the police to the location of an upside-down Ford Fiesta, which was also partially submerged in water, on Tuesday morning.

Per a news release on their website Tuesday, police confirmed officers had located the car the teenagers were traveling in the Porthmadog area of Wales “following information from a member of the public.”

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Meanwhile, local councilor June Jones told the BBC, "The car was only spotted when a passing lorry driver saw it from the higher vantage point of his cab.”

Following the accident, Harvey Owen's mom, Crystal, posted on Facebook Wednesday, "I feel like I'm in a nightmare I wish I could wake up from but I’m not," per The Guardian.

"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," she added.

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It's believed the boys, who were from the same school in England, were camping in the Eryri area of Wales, also known as Snowdonia. The remote area is a popular hiking and camping destination and home to Mount Snowdon, the highest point in the U.K. outside of the Scottish Highlands.

The teens' school, Shrewsbury College, also paid tribute to them in a statement obtained by PEOPLE Tuesday.

“We would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the four young men who tragically died in the suspected traffic accident,” the statement began. “This news is truly heartbreaking, and our thoughts go out to those affected by this tragic news.”

“We would like to thank the emergency services and local mountain rescue teams and to members of the public for their assistance in helping with the search and helping to locate the vehicle,” the statement continued. “We will be working directly with students and staff who are affected by terrible accident and have put in place a range of support measures for all our community.”

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