Town mourns children killed by drunk driver

Flags in the town near Toledo were flown at half mast and three days of public mourning were declared as 11,200 residents struggled to come to terms with Saturday's events.

The town's Santa Cecilia festival was cancelled and a team of psychologists, identified by orange bibs, were on hand to help members of the small community manage their grief.

Michele (13), Nerea (15) and Ana Raquel (16) plus two other friends had been walking home after attending a party on Friday night in the nearby village of Torrijos.

The teenagers told their parents via WhatsApp that they were staying with friends but they had in fact stayed out all night, according to Spanish daily El País.

At 7.25am they were walking home along the narrow, unlit road when a car coming in the opposite direction crossed lanes to avoid another car which had broken down.

The car entered the verge of the oncoming lane and hit the group of youngsters, instantly killing three of them.

A fourth, 17-year-old Brinston, was rushed to the intensive care unit of a local hospital with multiple injuries. The fifth member of the group suffered only a twisted ankle.

The driver of the car later tested positive for alcohol.