HUNDREDS of young people, united in a shared grief, gathered last night to remember two friends killed in separate tragedies days apart.

A sombre mood hung over South Park, in Darlington, as friends and family of Kyle Hull and Tyrone Singh tried to come to terms with recent events.

Mr Singh, who was 18, was killed when the silver Hyundai Getz he was driving collided with a barrier on the A66 between Darlington and Stockton, in the early hours of Wednesday.

Fifteen-year-old Kyle died in hospital on Sunday, five days after falling through a roof at Darlington Auction Mart.

The focal point of the gathering was the skate park, as Kyle was keen scooter rider.

Friends of both teenagers released paper lanterns and balloons with messages like ‘RIP Kyle and Tyrone’ written on them in felt pen.

Earlier, St Columba’s Church, just a short distance from the auction mart where Kyle suffered his fall, had opened its doors to friends and family members wanting time for quiet reflection on the double tragedy.

Mr Singh’s family was too upset to speak yesterday, but his personal trainer Dale McPherson was among those to pay tribute.

Mr McPherson, who trained with aspiring bodybuilder and strongman competitor Mr Singh at 3D Strength Gym, in Skerne Park, described the car valeter as a “gentle giant”.

He said: “I’d been training him for a year – he’d just go to work and come to train.

“He’d started doing strong man competitions and his family train here – we wanted to come together and raise funds for them.

“We’ve been to see his mother and want to get some wreaths and put something towards the cost of the funeral.

“Tyrone was quiet, went to work, trained and was never any bother to anyone.”

A strongman competition, including a tug-of-war competition between Mr Singh’s family and friends, will be held at the gym, in Coleridge Gardens, at noon on Sunday.

Mr McPherson added: “The news came as a big shock and we’ll use this event to bring people together and stay strong for his family.

“We’re all friends at the gym and go out together, we’re like a big family and Tyrone was a big part of that – we called him the gentle giant.

“He was a really genuine lad and it’s a shame and a shock.

“We’re all friends here and can’t imagine what it’s like for the family and for Mitch [Tyrone’s brother], who also trains here.

“Our role is to be his big brothers now. Tyrone is irreplaceable but we will do our best.”

Other tributes to Mr Singh were left on Facebook and in the comments section of The Northern Echo website.

A Facebook page in memory of Kyle now has more than 3,500 likes.

A police investigation into the crash was under way last night.

Fire crews from Darlington and Cleveland brigades cut Mr Singh from the vehicle and he was taken by ambulance to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough, where he later died of his injuries.

Officers say Mr Singh’s vehicle was the only one involved in the collision on the westbound A66 close to the Long Newton junction.

An 18-year-old female passenger in the car was not injured in the incident.

Anyone who saw the car prior to the collision or witnessed the incident is asked to call PC Paul Dixon, from the Cleveland and Durham specialist operation unit on 101, quoting reference CVP15-062038.