British band killed after car plunges off bridge

All four members of British indie band Viola Beach and their manager have died in a car crash in Sweden

Kris Leonard, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe, Jack Dakin and manager Craig Tarry were killed when their car plunged more than 25 metres from a highway bridge into a canal.

The incident happened near Stockholm.

Mr Tarry's family said they were grieving his loss and "for the other families involved in this tragic accident".

In a statement, issued via the UK Foreign Office, they said they were "devastated", adding: "Craig was a warm, loving person who had worked tirelessly to achieve success and follow his dreams within the music industry.

"He will be sadly missed by his family and his colleagues."

The Foreign Office earlier confirmed the deaths and said it was supporting the families.

The band were part of the line-up for Swedish music festival Where is the Music? on Friday and were due to play a gig in Guildford in Surrey on Saturday.

Swedish police said they received a call and were on the scene within five minutes.

They said divers recovered the bodies of the victims - aged between 20 and 35 - after their Nissan Qashqai plunged through a gap in the bridge which had opened to let a boat pass underneath.

The bridge has a middle section that rises directly upwards without tilting, leaving a gap that the car drove into, the police said.

A barrier before the opening has flashing lights and warning signs, the officer handling the case said, and other drivers were waiting behind the barrier.

Inspector Martin Bergholm said: "For some reason, the car drove through the barriers and crashed down into the canal.

"The witnesses just saw a car beside them and kind of disappear."

Eyewitness Jonny Alexandersson told the BBC he was waiting for the bridge to go down when he saw a car coming very fast on the left side.

     

Author: 
Radio New Zealand International