POLICE have arrested a man at the scene of a fatal crash in which three people died, according to reports.

Officers and members of the emergency services sealed off an area of the A48 at St Mellons on Monday morning after the discovery of a car linked to a missing persons report.

Three women from Newport and two men from Cardiff were declared missing on the weekend and had last been seen in the early hours of Saturday.

But it wasn't until shortly after midnight that Gwent Police announced the group's Volkswagen Tiguan had been found near a roundabout, and that three of the people inside had died.

Two people were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

'I still don't understand it'

Investigation work continues and enquiries are "ongoing", and mourners have begun leaving floral tributes at the crash scene.

But on Monday afternoon, police reportedly arrested a man for what police called prevention of breach of the peace.

The PA news agency named the arrested man as Thomas Taylor, 47, from the Rumney area of Cardiff.

Speaking before he was arrested, Mr Taylor, a film and TV extra, told PA: "When I heard the reports, I just couldn’t believe it could be possible that a car could come off and no-one know they were there,” he said.

"I still don’t understand it.

"It worries me, and I feel for the families because from what I can see from the reports they did have a feeling something was wrong and they were flagging it up. Their instincts were correct.

"I have some fears that perhaps when the reports came they had gone missing people thought: ‘Oh, it’s just a night out’.

"It’s natural they might have disappeared for a bit, but the families’ instincts are right."

How you can help the police investigation

Specialist officers are supporting the families of those involved and "enquiries are ongoing", a Gwent Police spokesperson said.

Anyone with any information is asked to call police on 101, or send a direct message on social media, quoting 2300071791.

The case has been referred to the police watchdog the IOPC "in line with normal procedures", Gwent Police added.