Mourners have continued to leave flowers at the scene where two teenage boys lost their lives.
A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old died following a car crash on the A196 near Coopies Way in the Stobhill area of Morpeth, Northumberland. The collision occurred during the early hours of Sunday morning.
Emergency services rushed to the area after being called shortly after 12.40am. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, both teenagers sadly passed away at the scene.
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The two boys have been named locally as 'Riley' and 'Mikey', although Northumbria Police is yet to confirm their identities.
The force said an investigation has been launched to determine the circumstances surrounding the collision and both families are being supported by specialist officers.
Following the collision, people began paying their respects by laying bunches of flowers on a tree just off the A196. On Sunday afternoon, one of the tributes said 'Fly high' and another said '"Rip sweetheart gone to soon" (sic).
By lunchtime on Monday, the number of floral tributes had increased significantly. The bottom of the tree is now completely covered in bunches of colourful flowers and amongst them lay a football.
Sergeant Craig Bartle, of Northumbria Police's Motor Patrols department, described the incident on Sunday morning as "incredibly tragic". He said the two young men had their whole lives ahead of them.
He said: "Our thoughts go out to both the young men’s families and close ones as they attempt to come to terms with today’s devastating news. We will support them in every way we can and ask that the family’s privacy is respected.
"An investigation has been launched to establish the circumstances surrounding the collision and we’re asking for anyone who has not yet spoken to us to get in touch, especially if you were travelling in the area and may have some information or dashcam footage that could help our enquiries."
Anyone with information is asked to contact the force by using the 'Tell Us Something' page on their website or calling 101 quoting log NP-20230312-0045.
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