The families of three teenagers who died after a road traffic collision in a small village in south Wales have paid tribute to the young men.
Callum Griffiths, 19, from Porth, and Jesse Owen, 18, and Morgan Smith, 18, both from Tonypandy, were killed in a collision between a bus and an Audi A1 on Ely Valley Road in Coedely, in the borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, at about 7pm on Monday.
The three were declared dead at the scene, while two other men, aged 18 and 19, were taken to the University hospital of Wales in Cardiff with life-threatening injuries. Two other people were treated for minor injuries.
Owen’s family said: “Jesse had a presence that would light up any room. He was loved by all who had the honour of knowing him. He was the most loving, happy, kind, calm and beautiful soul. He would do absolutely anything for anyone. He loved his family and friends and was loyal to the core.”
The family of Smith said: “Morgan is a popular boy, he is a well-loved son, brother, grandson, nephew and cousin. We as a family are devastated by the loss of Morgan, we have been left with a void that can never be filled. We love you our boy.”
Smith was described as “the nicest person you could ever wish to meet” in a Facebook post by the Maerdy Boxing Club, for which he had represented Wales at amateur level.
Griffiths’ family paid tribute, saying: “Callum had the most beautiful smile that would light up the room. He was the most precious gift of a son and our love is endless.
“Our hearts have been broken into a million pieces, broken beyond repair. He was so loving and had a caring soul. He has left a hole in our hearts that cannot be filled.”
Supt Esyr Jones of South Wales police said: “Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragic incident. Trained family liaison officers are supporting the families at what must be an extremely difficult time for them.”
Rhondda Cynon Taf council’s deputy mayor, Dan Owen-Jones, was at the scene soon after the crash after a resident called him. He said the incident had cast a “dark cloud over the community” and sent those affected his deepest sympathies.
A community centre was opened as a “safe haven and warm place for distressed family and friends” arriving at the scene, Owen-Jones said.
The police have asked anyone who witnessed the collision or the manner in which either vehicle was being driven in the run-up the collision to contact them.
South Wales police added that anyone with any dashcam or mobile phone footage is asked to contact them quoting reference 2300420639.
The incident follows two other serious car crashes in Wales this year. Most recently, four teenagers in Snowdonia, north Wales, drowned in an upturned car that skidded off the road and into a ditch. The news prompted calls for a graduated driving licensing (GDL) system that would put restrictions on new, younger drivers in an attempt to reduce road deaths.
Earlier this year, Rafel Jeanne, 24, Darcy Ross, 21, and Eve Smith, 21, died in a crash while two other passengers, Sophie Russon, 20, and Shane Loughlin, 32, were injured but survived.
The accident happened on the A48(M) near the St Mellons area of Cardiff at 2.03am on Saturday 4 March when a Volkswagen Tiguan veered off a slip road approaching a roundabout and came to rest in a small area of trees.
The occupants’ relatives had reported them missing but the five were not discovered until the following Monday, about 46 hours after the crash.
