Four university students killed in Essex car crash named
2 February 2025, 16:13 | Updated: 3 February 2025, 12:31
Police have named four people who died after a car crashed into a building in Colchester city centre yesterday.
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The Essex force said they were Makyle Bayley, 22, Eva Darold-Tchikaya, 21, Anthony Hibbert, 24, and Daljang Wol, 22.
The three men and woman inside the car all died at the scene.
All four were students at the University of Essex.
The collision with a building occurred in Magdalen Street in Colchester shortly before 4:40am on Saturday 1st February.
Detectives are seeking information about a black Ford Focus being driven along Magdalen Street, or in the vicinity, near the time of the crash.
Mike Davies, 66, a builder from Colchester, told the Daily Mail: "Police told me the car was so badly damaged inside the building they couldn't even tell what make or model it was.
"They had to construct a temporary wooden platform to be able to take it out. They even had to bring in a JCB to help get it freed. The building is completely wrecked."
He claimed that several people allegedly saw the car going at a high speed, on the wrong side of the road.
Resident Jodie Graves, 42, said: "It was so loud that I thought I was dreaming until I saw my husband on the phone to the police.
"When the police knocked for us at about 5am, we had put down the blinds. That was when they said, 'I recommend you don't look out there'.
"It was just surreal - we were told not to look."
Temporary Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Hooper said: “I want to extend my condolences to the friends and family of Makyle, Eva, Anthony, and Daljang.
“This will be an incredibly difficult time for them and we have specialist officers supporting them.
“Our specialist Serious Collision Investigation Unit is investigating what led up to the collision but at this stage we do not believe any other vehicles were involved.
“I again want to thank all the attending emergency services for their efforts to maintain the dignity of those who died and to the community for their support and co-operation.
“If you have any information about what happened, please contact us.”
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Essex Police were called in the early hours of Saturday morning to reports a vehicle had been in a collision with a building in Magdalen Street.
Emergency services rushed to the scene but four people were confirmed dead at the scene.
Police said the families of the victims have been informed and will be supported by specialist officers.
The road has been closed for much of the day while the vehicle was recovered and police carried out enquiries into the incident.
Anyone with any information, CCTV, dashcam or other footage is being encouraged to contact the Essex force, quoting incident 179 of 1 February.
