TWO communities are in shock after two 17-year-old friends from Suffolk were killed in what appears to have been an horrific head-on crash.Prayers and support were offered to the relatives of the teenagers following the accident at Bramford, which also left a mother and her eight-year-old daughter injured.

TWO communities are in shock after two 17-year-old friends from Suffolk were killed in what appears to have been an horrific head-on crash.

Prayers and support were offered to the relatives of the teenagers following the accident at Bramford, which also left a mother and her eight-year-old daughter injured.

The 17-year-old boys came from Offton and Somersham, with one believed to be a mechanic.

Their families were being informed of their deaths yesterday, but police said they could still not release their names last night.

Meanwhile Bramford vicar David Vonberg said: "The church is very much thinking of the families.

"I'm in church on Sunday and will make sure the tragic accident is very much in the hearts of people, as I'm sure it is in the whole of the church community.

"When this happens so close to home it becomes very real and personal to us. If they are known locally it will cause great sadness. We are here to support the family if they need us at any stage."

The driver, who had a provisional licence, and his friend were killed when their Volkswagen Golf was in a collision with a Seat car carrying a mother and daughter on the Somersham Road around 7.20pm on Wednesday night .

The teenagers were travelling in the direction of the B1113 from Little Blakenham towards Bramford.

Both the driver of the Golf and his passenger died at the scene.

The eight-year-old girl and her mother, who were travelling in the opposite direction in the Seat, suffered minor injuries and were treated at Ipswich Hospital. They are also believed to be from the Bramford area.

An off-duty paramedic discovered the crash and helped treat the injured woman while emergency crews travelled to the scene, which was about half a mile from the B1113 turn-off for Little Blakenham.

Reports from the scene suggested the cars crashed head-on and police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokeswoman said: "Any serious accident or fatality results in us carrying out a full investigation so the results can be provided for the coroner in due course."

The fire service has praised the actions of the off-duty paramedic who discovered the crash and immediately prevented other vehicles from approaching the scene.

Anyone with information about the accident should contact Pc Melanie Savage at the Suffolk Road Policing Unit on 01473 613735.