A British band whose members were killed in a car accident last weekend has hit the number one spot on iTunes following a fan campaign.
Viola Beach, a four-piece from Warrington, in the north of England, died on Saturday along with their manager, Craig Tarry, when their car plunged from a bridge in Stockholm, Sweden. The five men were aged between 19 and 32.
The band's single "Swings and Waterslides" briefly occupied the top slot on the music download service on Thursday, after a campaign backed by influential figures including singer Paloma Faith and the MTV music channel urged people to buy it.
Finally @Viola_Beach is the number #1 A tribute for the real Heros
— Paul M (@Paulmurray100) February 18, 2016
RIP Legends #ViolaBeach4number1 #ViolaBeach pic.twitter.com/LW11djHRCZ
The Viola Beach song was temporarily ranked higher than hits by the likes of One Direction's Zayn Malik and Rihanna.
One campaigner posted a framed screenshot of the chart to celebrate:
Thankyou to my sister for sorting out the frame whilst I was down in London X #ViolaBeachMadeNumber1 pic.twitter.com/JoJfEYncjp
— Nick Gartland (@nick_gartland98) February 18, 2016
The cause of the Stockholm crash that killed the group is as yet unknown. The four band members and their manager were killed when their car plunged from a bridge that had opened to let a boat through.
