The dad of the fifth teenager who was supposed to go on the camping trip that claimed the lives of four teenage boys said his son "won't get over the tragedy".
The boy was supposed to join his childhood friend Hugo Morris on the ill-fated camping trip in Snowdonia, north Wales, but made the life-saving decision to pull out at the last minute.
Hugo, 18, along with his schoolmates Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 16, and Wilf Fitchett, 17, were subsequently found dead in their upturned car in the Porthmadog area on Tuesday (November 21) after failing to return home.
READ MORE: Car with four missing boys inside was found by passing binman as cops 'searched in dark'
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The devastated teenager, aged 19, who also worked with Hugo as a barista in a Pret a Manger outlet, has been left reeling from the heart-breaking accident.
The lad's dad said that his son is still "in shock" over losing one of his pals. He said: "My son is still in shock. We all knew Hugo and we feel we have lost a member of our family."
The dad added that it would "take a long time" for his son to process his loss.
Daily Star previously reported that one of the boys' workmates said the teenager was suffering following the death of his pals.
Mimi Ropotka, 35, who worked with Hugo and his mate at Pret A Manger in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, said the surviving teen cannot take in the events that followed his decision to go on a different camping trip instead, and was in a "really bad way".
"He can't believe he has lost his friend so suddenly and tragically,'' she said. "We are devastated by Hugo's death. He was just an amazing person." Mimi also said café had closed "out of respect" for Hugo who "loved the job" and "picked it up quickly".
An extensive search for the boys led to the discovery of their silver Ford Fiesta, upturned and partially submerged in water. Supt Owain Llewelyn, of North Wales Police, said after the harrowing discovery: “At present, this appears to have been a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the four young men at this very difficult time.
“This has been an extensive search involving a number of different agencies and volunteers, and this is sadly not the outcome that any of us would have wanted.
“We would ask that the family be afforded the appropriate privacy and respect.” Police added that investigations are ongoing to establish the exact circumstances around the tragic incident.
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