Hundreds gather at vigil pay respect to friends murdered in Cardiff

To honor the three people who perished in a horrific crash in Wales, a vigil is being held.

When Rafel Jeanne, Eve Smith, and Darcy Ross‘ VW Tiguan left the A48 in Cardiff and struck several trees in the Saint Mellons neighborhood, they were all murdered.

Although they lived, their two pals Sophie Russon and Shane Loughlin are still in critical condition.

Some hundred people have gathered at the A48 junction, which has been restricted to traffic, but more are anticipated to join.

Two minute silence and fireworks for crash victims at St Mellons vigil

People leaving bouquets of flowers on the roundabout of the A48

Flowers and candles have been laid out near the scene in a tribute to the victims, who were from Newport.

People also let out heart-shaped balloon bouquets in the air in their memory.

The community is demanding answers why it took the police so long to find the group, who had been missing for more than 48 hours.

They had been to a social club in Maesglas, Newport, on Friday and were thought to then have travelled 40 miles to the Trecco Bay area of Porthcawl.

More mourners are expected to turn up over the course of the evening

It is believed they then went to the Llanedeyrn area of Cardiff and were last seen at about 2am on Saturday.

All five were later reported missing by their families after they did not hear from them.

Friends and family desperately searched for them over the weekend and just after midnight on Monday, the car they had been travelling in was found crashed off the A48. 

Tamzin Samuels, a friend of the three young women, said: ‘I do think the police could have done a lot more in putting the helicopters out earlier.

‘They only posted the appeal an hour before the girls were found. We found them before the police found them – we rang the police.

‘The search party found the girls before the police found the girls.

‘I think that speaks volumes really, they had all that equipment, and we had cars when we were looking.

‘They were really popular girls, the life of the party, and it was really out of character for them to do what they did, which is why we knew something was wrong.’