Four teenagers drowned after the vehicle they were travelling in left a road in North Wales, a coroner has said.

The inquests into the deaths of Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, all from the Shropshire area, were opened and adjourned in Caernarfon on Wednesday.

None of the teenagers’ families attended the brief four-minute hearing in which Kate Robertson, HM Coroner for North West Wales, stated the provisional cause of their deaths was drowning.

A major search was launched for the A-level students after they failed to return home to Shropshire from an overnight camping trip to the Snowdonia area.

The four teenagers were found dead on November 21 on the A4085 at Llanfrothen and were identified by family members.

Ms Robertson said: “This is a court that is led by evidence, speculation is unhelpful, at this stage compassion will achieve far more than media curiosity.”

The coroner offered the grieving families her “sincerest condolences” and adjourned the inquest. No date has been set for the full hearings.

Police investigations remain ongoing and North Wales Police has appealed for dashcam footage from anyone travelling on the A4085 between Penrhyndeudraeth and Beddgelert in either direction between 11am on November 19 and 10am on November 21.

In a tribute, Harvey’s mother Crystal Owen described him as “a unique and special person who touched so many people along the way”.

She said: “There is never a time to lose a child but this feels so much more gut-wrenching as he was literally thriving in life and had everything to live for.”

Wilf’s girlfriend, Maddi Corfield, posted a tribute online, writing: “I love you so much, I’m going to miss you forever.

“The sweetest and most loving boy I’ve ever known. I hope you know how much I love you, gorgeous.”