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A group of friends were declared missing this morning after disappearing during a firework display last night. John Samson, Paul Murray and Sarah Dent all 18, were at a local park enjoying the annual festivities. Event manager Thomas Pierce told Manchester Express: “It was a really fun filled evening; everyone seemed to be in high spirits”.

The show began at 7:00pm at Buile Hill Park in Salford. The display lasted for 3 hours. Within the time the show began and the closing time (10:30pm) the group went missing.

Local shop owner Clive Thompson told the police that they noticed a small group of friends arguing during the firework show’s interval, at 8:45pm. “There was a group of around three to four people standing near the confectionary stand arguing about something or other, it got quite heated but then seemed to fizzle out so I didn’t feel the need to involve myself”. “I didn’t see any of them again for the rest of the night”. His description of the trio vaguely matches.

Families of the teens were unaware anything was amiss until they failed to make contact with them after the display. The families instantly reported them missing, after enquiring each other if they knew of their whereabouts.

Greater Manchester police are conducting a search to find the youngsters and get them home. Chief inspector Ellis told us: “the families are in shock, but they are doing all that they can; they just need to stay put and await any potential contact from their children. We have a wide search on-going and we need anyone else who may have seen them last night to contact us with any details.

Paul Murray’s father, Jason, is clearly distraught: “They were really close friends, genuinely nice, respectable people; they never get into any trouble. All of us are deeply upset, we need anyone who attended Buile Hill last night to come forward and give any information possible on the whereabouts of our children, so that we can get them back home, safe”.

We are looking for a group three teenagers: one wearing a bright red jacket, another in a brown jumper and one in an orange raincoat; they each carried large black backpacks.

If anyone came into contact or noticed the party at the firework show, please give any information possible to the Greater Manchester Police on 0901 549 3724.