FOUR Gwent men died when their car plunged 100ft down a quarry yesterday afternoon.

At around 3.50pm a car travelling towards Llanhilleth on the B4471 at Swffryd left the road and rolled down an embankment before going over a sheer drop at the disused Monk's Quarry.

The car ended up on its roof and was stopped from plunging further by large boulders.

No other vehicle was involved in the incident.

Police this afternoon revealed the identities of the victims.They were: Shane Powell, aged 29, of Pontypool; Karl Devlin, aged 19, of Newport; Alex Williams, aged 21, of Newport and Jack Magee, aged 47, of Aberbeeg.

Police and firefighters said it had been one of the most distressing accidents they had dealt with.

A section of fencing failed to stop the car - believed to be a blue BMW. When the four men were certified dead, a desperate operation was mounted to remove their bodies from the wreckage and transport them up the treacherous vertical drop and slippery embankment.

An elaborate pulley system was set up by the fire service to complete the distressing task.

Shortly after 7pm the first body was removed. By 9.30pm the fourth body was recovered and placed with the others in a private ambulance heading for the mortuary at the Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport.

More than 20 firefighters from five different stations and 15 police officers were involved in the rescue. The Severn Area Rescue Association also assisted.

The road is due to remain shut for most of today while officers from Gwent Police examine the scene for clues as to the cause of the accident and attempt to recover the wreckage.

Martin Henderson, divisional officer for the South Wales Fire Service, said: "We received a call around 4pm saying that a car had left the road and fallen down a sheer drop.

"It is not appropriate to speculate on what happened. The circumstances that led to the accident are a matter for the accident investigation unit of Gwent Police."

Mr Henderson added: "It has been a very difficult operation but I'm very impressed with the crews and their professionalism." Superintendent Nigel Russell of Gwent Police said: "It is too early to say what was the cause of the accident.

"It is a tragic incident and our thoughts are totally with the families of the four victims.

"We will do all we can to investigate and professionally identify the cause of this tragic incident."

"The location is treacherous and there is a virtually vertical 200ft drop down, the vehicle went through the barriers and was stopped by boulders in the quarry.

"We worked with firefighters and the Severn Area Rescue Association to help us recover the people in the wreck.

"We are looking for any witnesses with any information or anyone who was in the area at the time to call 01633 838111."