An impromptu memorial appeared in Stellenbosch as the city mourns the death of Leila Lees (18) and Ethan Kirkland (19).
A photo of the two teens, along with the first bouquet of flowers, was left on the corner of Bird and Plein Streets overnight after their bodies were recovered from a quarry in Kruger street yesterday afternoon.
Relatives and onlookers were visibly shaken as the maroon Subaru Forester was retrieved after what family believe to have been an accident.
Read: UPDATE: Stellenbosch teens’ bodies recovered, car hauled from dam
“It was a car accident. The vehicle swerved off the road and into the quarry. It’s quite deep and has a lot of water. The car landed on its roof under the water,” Kirkland’s father Paul Midlane told News24 at the scene.
The quarry, St. Nicholas Catholic Church has been a concern to residents for some time. The area is particularly dark during load shedding. Some on the scene questioned whether these factors could have contributed towards the deaths.
Members of the congregation added that they did not notice anything when they attended mass on Sunday.
Had it not been for two young boys searching for scrap metal in the area the vehicle may have taken even longer to discover. According to sources, the boys have described themselves as heroes.
The two teens were last seen at Catwalk Nightclub on Saturday night where they attended a Halloween party.
Leila wore a white silk dress with angel wings.
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Photos: Supplied