A survivor of the Cardiff car crash which saw three dying young people lie undiscovered for two days has been pictured for the first time since the tragedy.

Shane Loughlin, 32, was pulled alive from the wreckage off the A48(M) near the St Mellons area of the city last month, having spent 46 hours lying injured next to Sophie Russon, 20, and the bodies of their friends.

Gwent Police was accused of appearing so unconcerned when it was contacted about three missing childhood friends that families were forced to mount their own searches, with one mother told by the force to stop ringing them about her missing daughter.

Ms Russon, Eve Smith, 21 and Darcy Ross, 21, had been on a night out together on Friday March 3, visiting bars in the towns of Newport and Porthcawl, South Wales.

Vanished in early hours

They then travelled to the Cardiff area in the early hours of Saturday morning, March 4, in a VW Tiguan with Rafel Jeanne, 24, and Mr Loughlin, who were believed to be new acquaintances. 

All five of them vanished at around 2am. Ms Smith, Ms Ross and Mr Jeanne were all found dead.

In a Facebook post on Sunday, Mr Loughlin was pictured for the first time since suffering serious injuries in the tragedy, smiling with a friend as he continues to recover.

It comes after the other survivor Ms Russon, who was also initially in a critical condition, paid tribute to her late "beautiful" friends.

Ms Russon posted a picture on social media of herself last weekend with Ms Smith and Ms Ross, with the caption "love you both so much" and said they were "the most beautiful girls".

Police under scrutiny

The crash happened at 2.03am on Saturday, March 4, but Gwent Police did not issue an appeal to find them until 11pm on March 5 - more than 27 hours after they were reported missing. The group and the Volkswagen Tiguan were found just after midnight on Monday, March 6.

The car had veered into trees next to a roundabout on the busy road. A vigil was held there last month, with balloons and fireworks released. 

Gwent Police and South Wales Police referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which are carrying out an assessment of whether the forces need to be investigated for their handling of the case. South Wales Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.

Post-mortems at the University Hospital of Wales did not provide a provisional cause of death, with further assessments of histology and toxicology ongoing. Inquests into the three victims have been opened and adjourned, with no date set.