Police searching for five people who disappeared after a night out in Newport say they have found three of them dead and two seriously injured. The three women and two men had last been seen in Cardiff in the early hours of Saturday. Their families and friends issued a number of appeals over the weekend after getting increasingly concerned as time went by without them having had any contact from any of those missing. One family member said that it was "unusual" for them not to have been in touch. Police confirmed their worst fears in the early hours of Monday morning when they confirmed the car they had been travelling in had been found crashed off the A48 near St Mellons. The A48 has been closed in both directions . Here are the facts released so far on this tragedy. Last sighting in Cardiff Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21, who are all from Newport, were at the Muffler bar and club in Maesglas in Newport on Friday evening before friends believe they headed to Trecco Bay in Porthcawl with Shane Loughlin, 32, and Rafel Jeanne-Actie, 24, from Cardiff, who were also reported missing. Sophie Russon, Eve Smith, Darcy Ross, Rafel Jeanne and Shane Loughlin were last seen in the early hours of Saturday morning (Image: Reach) It is believed that they left Porthcawl and headed back to Cardiff where they were last seen around 2am in the Llanedeyrn area of the city. Family and friends said they had not been active on social media since around 2am on Saturday morning. The weekend timeline Friday evening - Sophie, Eve, and Darcy, who are all from Newport, were at the Muffler bar and club in Maesglas in Newport. Ms Smith's car was still parked outside the bar on Sunday. Maesglas Sports and Social Club (Image: Google) Friday night - Friends believe they headed to Trecco Bay in Porthcawl with Shane Loughlin, 32, and Rafel Jeanne-Actie, 24, who were also reported missing. Saturday morning - The five were last seen around 2am in the Llanedeyrn area of the city. There were reports that they had left another person home. Saturday - Relatives became increasingly concerned, saying none of those missing had been seen or heard from since 2am on Saturday and none of them had been active on social media over the weekend. Sunday - Relatives share pictures of the five missing people asking for help in tracing them. On Sunday afternoon Gwent Police issued a statement saying: "We’re appealing for information to find Sophie Russon, 20, Eve Smith, 21, and Darcy Ross, 21, all from Newport, who have been reported as missing. The three women were last seen on Saturday, March 4, at about 2am in the Llanedeyrn area of Cardiff. They had travelled there from Porthcawl in a VW Tiguan, registration number VE64 YLB, with two men. These two men from Cardiff, Rafel Jeanne, 24 and Shane Loughlin, 32, have also been reported as missing. Anyone with any information on their whereabouts is asked to call us on 101 or send us a direct message on social media, quoting 2300071791. All five are also urged to get in touch with us to confirm that they are safe and well. " Monday morning - Gwent Police confirmed they had found the VW Tiguan and that it had crashed on the A48 at St Mellons. They confirmed the tragic news that three people in the car were dead and two had been seriously injured. The road was closed in both directions as investigations are carried out at the scene. Family appeals over the weekend Family and friends were desperately concerned over the weekend and had made several appeals for help in finding the five. They had contacted police who said the three missing women had travelled to Llanedeyrn from Porthcawl in a VW Tiguan, registration number VE64 YLB, with two men. At around 4. 35am on Monday, Gwent Police said the VW Tiguan had been recovered just after midnight in the St Mellons area of Cardiff. They confirmed the tragic news that three people had been found dead and two seriously injured. No further details have been released but specialist police officers are supporting the families. Police appeal for information Police believe the car was involved in a road traffic collision and came off the A48. It is the main road that leads from Llanedeyrn to Newport where the missing women lived. Police at the scene on Monday morning (Image: John Myers) The A48 at St Mellons was closed near the garden centre on Monday as investigations continue at the scene. Gwent Police are leading the investigation, but are being assisted by South Wales Police. A statement from South Wales Police at 8am on Monday morning said: "We are at the scene of an ongoing incident on the roundabout that joins Eastern Avenue with Newport Road and the A48 in Cardiff. The road is currently closed in all directions. It is expected to remain closed for some time. " The case has been referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in line with normal procedures. Officers are appealing for anyone with information to call police on 101, or send a direct message on social media, quoting 2300071791. Read next: Mum who started to forget little things like her keys died with Alzheimer's in her 50s Dancing On Ice viewers in tears as Siva Kaneswaran pays tribute to Tom Parker with semi-final skate Abandoned Welsh cottage transformed into perfect secluded getaway.