Search for four missing teenagers on a camping trip ends in tragedy as police confirm their bodies have been found in the wreckage of a silver Ford Fiesta

Four teenagers missing on a camping trip in North Wales have been found dead in an overturned and partially submerged car, police tragically confirmed today. 

Sixth form students Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson and Hugo Morris left Porthmadog near Snowdonia National Park on Sunday morning. 

The teenagers, from Shrewsbury, were due home on Monday but none of them made contact with friends and family or were active on WhatsApp.

North Wales Police said four bodies had been recovered from a silver Ford Fiesta on the A4085 at Garreg, near Tremadog. 

The car had left the road, flipped onto its roof and was partially covered in water following what appeared to be a 'tragic accident', police said. 

Owain Llewelyn, superintendent of North Wales Police, said: 'Police officers located a Ford Fiesta on its roof, partially submerged in water. 

'Tragically, the bodies of four young males were found within the vehicle. The families of the missing boys have been informed. Our thoughts are with them at this desperate time. 

'While the search has concluded there is a search ongoing to formally identify those within the vehicle and understand what led to this tragic incident.' 

Supt Llewelyn continued: '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.

'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. We would ask that the family be afforded the appropriate privacy and respect.'

Investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances, police said.

Police cordoned off a four mile stretch of the A4085 between the villages of Garreg and Port Aberglaslyn, near Porthmadog, north Wales.

It is understood the Fiesta was spotted by a member of the public this morning, shortly after 10am, around three miles north of Garreg, close to the start of a popular waterfall walking route, known as Croesor Waterfalls Hike.

The road is steep and very windy in parts and there is almost no mobile phone signal in the area.

A source told the Mail that a parent of one of the boys reported them missing when they failed to return home at around 3.10pm yesterday.

It is understood they travelled from their homes in Shrewsbury on Saturday night, arriving at Harlech at around 11pm. They stayed at an address in seaside town befo re heading to Snowdonia on Sunday morning.

The source said: 'The plan seems to have been to camp in Snowdonia on Sunday evening, but it seems like they didn't make it to a campsite.

'The car looks has left the road on a bend, it seems the driver lost control abd ended up in a ditch.'

The alarm was only raised when they didn't make it home on Monday afternoon.

Emyr Owen, who lives near the crash site, said that it had been 'atrocious' weather on the morning the boys went missing. He told the BBC that police began combing the area at 5am and closed the roads. Ambulances entered the cordon at around 1pm, followed by a police forensics team.

Manasa Boma, manager at The Royal Goat Hotel in Beddgelert, close to the scene, said: 'Our handyman messaged me to say there had been a terrible accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone who's involved'.

A spokesman for the police said the car had been located 'following information from a member of the public'.

Officers and other emergency services are currently at the scene and that they keeping the teenager's families updated with information, they added.

Local councillor June Jones told Sky News: 'I was hoping that they'd gone out camping wild and had no mobile signal. I was hoping very much that that is the reason why they haven't been in contact - there's not much mobile signal in this area and perhaps that is why'.

She said the 'whole area is in complete shock' and 'everybody's feelings are very much with the families at this time'.

'It has been extremely wet and the rivers have been extremely high over the last few days. Obviously, it is November, the weather is bad. It is bad weather to be travelling in, especially with somebody who doesn't know the roads very well', she said.

Shrewsbury College has confirmed all four boys were all students there, working towards  their A-levels.

'The college's immediate thoughts are with the family and friends of the teenagers missing. This is a very worrying time, and we all want them to be found safe and well'.

It has emerged that the four were not experienced campers and only had a tent and sleeping bags with them.

Lisa Corfield, whose daughter Maddi is 17-year-old Wilf's girlfriend, told MailOnline: 'They are not experienced campers. They have never been there before. [They] were just going for the night so have a tent and sleeping bags but only the basics.' 

Crystal Owen, the mother of Harvey, a 17-year-old student at Shrewsbury College doing A-levels, told the BBC that she was headed to North Wales in order to be closer to the search operation. 

Ms Owen said she did not know that her son was going on a camping trip and thought he was staying at a friend's grandfather's house for the night. 

She said: 'If I'd have known [where he was going] I wouldn't have let him due to the winter weather conditions.

'They are all sensitive, intelligent lads and we are just hoping they parked up, got lost and are OK.'

Harvey's mother reposted the appeal post shared by North Wales Police on Facebook and wrote: 'I am frantic with worry, one of these boys is my son Harvey, please please please share and tag anyone in Wales or get in touch with any information you may have.'

Another family member, Mel Hirst, said they were 'desperate for any news' and pleaded users to keep sharing the post. 

Ms Corfield said the boys have not been seen or heard from and she begged people to share the post with as many people as possible so that they could 'try and get them home safely'.

She told the Shropshire Star that the group set out to go camping on Saturday and were expected back on Sunday morning, but they 'never returned'.  

Ms Corfield said: 'Everybody is sick with worry and have not heard anything from them, which is very unusual for them. They have been trying their phones which must be either off or with no battery.'

Locals reported that a helicopter had been searching the Penrhyndeudraeth area before heading toward Nantmor and Beddgelert.

The area where the boys were missing is remote and mountainous, with narrow, winding single-lane roads into Snowdonia National Park.