The mother of a boy who went missing while camping in Snowdonia has said she was unaware he had planned the trip.
Harvey Owen was last seen in the Harlech and Porthmadog areas of Gwynedd, north Wales, with his three friends, Wilf Henderson, Jevon Hirst and Hugo Morris.
The four teenagers have not been seen since Sunday morning, with their parents growing increasingly concerned.
Shortly after 12pm on Tuesday, North Wales Police confirmed they had found a silver Ford Fiesta the boys were believed to be travelling in.
A police spokesman said the car had been discovered following a report from a member of the public.
They added: “Police officers and colleagues from other emergency services are currently at the location and the families of those involved have been kept updated.”
‘I am frantically worried’
Crystal Owen, the mother of Harvey, told the BBC she was currently making her way to north Wales to be closer to the search operation.
Harvey, 17, has three siblings and is a student at Shrewsbury College, currently studying for his A-levels.
She said she believes the last time the group used their phones was about midday on Sunday in Porthmadog, and said her son had not logged onto his WhatsApp, which she said was unusual.
“I am frantically worried, we haven’t slept a wink, we are desperate to chase any lead we can,” she said.
“If I’d have known [where he was going] I wouldn’t have let him due to the winter weather conditions.
“They are all sensitive, intelligent lads and we are just hoping they parked up, got lost and are OK.”
‘Very worrying time’
A Shrewsbury College spokesman told The Telegraph: “We, at the college, like everyone else hope that the teenagers are found safe and well soon. It must be a very worrying time for the family and friends of the teenagers.”
A coastguard helicopter searched the Glaslyn Nature Reserve at 4.30am on Tuesday, but later returned to base.
It is believed the teenagers had been camping in the Eryri area of north Wales, a remote part of the country.
Eryri National Park, also known as Snowdonia, is Wales’ largest national park, covering a total of 823 sq miles.
The park is home to a number of mountain ranges, as well as an extensive network of trails, as well as lakes and peaks.
Chris Lloyd, the chairman of the Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue, said team members had spent Monday searching car parks for their vehicle.
Mr Lloyd said: “We were called out by North Wales Police early yesterday afternoon. Our first job was to look for any indication they were on the mountain.
“We deployed two or three teams to drive around all the carparks. We cannot find the car. We are still actively looking for it and are continuing to search. We don’t have a specific area where to search.”
Liz Saville Roberts, the Plaid Cymru MP for Dwyfor Meirionnydd, said the situation was “very worrying”.
“My immediate thoughts are with their family and friends who will be extremely concerned about their welfare,” she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
