A vigil is being held to mourn the three victims of a horror crash in Wales.
Rafel Jeanne, Eve Smith and Darcy Ross were all killed when their Volkswagen Tiguan came off the A48 in Cardiff, crashing into trees in the St Mellons area.
Their two friends, Sophie Russon and Shane Loughlin survived, but remain in a critical condition.
A crowd of a few hundred people arrived on the roundabout on the A48, which has been closed to traffic, but more are expected to join.
Flowers and candles have been laid out near the scene in a tribute to the victims, who were from Newport.
People also released heart-shaped balloon bouquets in the air in their memory.
Fireworks and flares were also let off after a two-minute silence was held at the scene.
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..
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.’
The police watchdog confirmed it was investigating the search response, but said it is ‘at a very early stage’.
David Ford, IOPC director, said: ‘We will be examining what information police had, the grading given to any risk assessments, and the steps taken by police to locate the missing people prior to the Volkswagen Tiguan being found just after midnight on Monday.
‘We will also consider what communication took place between the two forces, and whether police action was appropriate and followed relevant policy and procedures.
‘We will be contacting the families involved to express our sympathies, explain our role and set out how our investigation will progress.
‘We are aware of the significant community concern about the tragic events that have unfolded and would like to assure everyone that we will conduct a thorough and timely investigation.’
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