Police name three 16-year-olds who died in horror crash on A711

Police have named the three teenagers who died in a car crash which left a 17-year-old fighting for his life and three others being taken to hospital.

At around 12.20am on Wednesday, emergency services were called to a two-car crash on the A711 near Dumfries, involving a Honda Civic and a Honda CRV.

Three 16-year-olds were in the Honda Civic and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police Scotland on Thursday named them as Finlay Johns, Iain Cannon and Tyler Johnston.

A 17-year-old who was also in the Civic was taken to hospital where doctors have said he is in a critical condition.

Three men in the Honda CRV, aged 32, 51, and 54, were also taken to hospital. Staff have described their condition as serious but stable.

Rev Elsie Macrae, minister of St Andrew’s Parish Church in Moffat, said that “words alone cannot express our feelings of deep sadness, confusion and perhaps anger”.

“This is a heartbreaking tragedy and the whole community is shocked and stunned that three young men have lost their lives,” she said.

“We are all grieving and our hearts go out to their family and friends and we hold them in our prayers along with the four men who were seriously injured and being treated in hospital.

“We hope that they all make a speedy and full recovery.”

Chief Inspector Lorraine Napier, of Police Scotland’s Road Policing unit, said she recognised “how the local community is feeling in the aftermath of this awful incident”.

“We have deployed specialist family liaison officers to support the families and friends of those who died or were injured. It is understandably an extremely traumatic incident,” she said.

“I would continue to ask anyone who has any information that could assist us, to contact police via 101, quoting reference 0059 of Wednesday, 16 March 2022.”