Tributes paid to Newcastle medics Aiden Brunger and Neil Dalton

Mr Dalton’s grieving parents made a joint statement, saying that their son’s death had “ruined their lives and left them totally shattered.

“We crave to hold him again but that’s the one thing we can’t do. We can look at his pictures, and smell his clothes but we can’t touch him.”

Neil Dalton’s parents said their son’s chance to help hundreds of people had been ‘taken away from him’

“We will miss him coming home, cooking the dinner that he liked, going shopping and the wonderful hugs he gave.”

“Neil intended to go into general practice to help hundreds of people but now this will not happen. He had the chance to impact lives taken away from him.”

Both parents released a joint statement saying: “Our sons made us so proud of what they achieved in their too short lives, we loved them very much and we always will.”

At the time of the event, Newcastle’s acting vice-chancellor Professor Tony Stevenson said: “This has come as a huge shock to us all, and our thoughts are with their families and friends at this very difficult time.”

Both Aidan and Neil had completed four years of study at Newcastle, and were awarded posthumous degrees by the university.