Greenacre school crash: Hundreds gather for funeral
RELATIVES said a final farewell to Jihad Darwiche, placing a hand on his coffin, as hundreds of mourners turned out at Lakemba Mosque for the funeral of one of the boys killed when a 4WD crashed into a school classroom.
NSW
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HUNDREDS of mourners have attended Lakemba Mosque to farewell Jihad Darwiche, an eight-year-old boy crushed to death by an out-of-control 4WD at his Sydney primary school.
A crowd of men carried aloft a small coffin from the grounds of the neighbouring Lebanese Muslim Association then up the stairs of the mosque.
The green coffin was draped in a decorative Islamic cloth.
Women sobbed, many surrounding a woman believed to be Jihad’s mother, as they attended behind the coffin.
Mourners spilt out the front door of the full Mosque, kneeling for their midday service before saying a special prayer for the little boy whose body was released by the coroner last night.
“We pray someone looks after him and that one day someone will look after us,” one man said after the service.
A crowd of men carried the coffin out after the hour-long service.
Relatives said a final farewell, placing a hand on the coffin, before it was driven to a nearby cemetery.
A small number of students arrived wearing their Banksia Road uniform to say a prayer for their friend.
Parents of other children from Banksia Road Public School also came to pay their respects.
Two eight-year-old boys died when a Toyota Kluger came crashing into the classroom.
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Driver Maha Al-Shennag, 52, was charged with two counts of dangerous driving occasioning death on Tuesday.
On Wednesday she was also charged with one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm and one count of cause actual bodily harm by misconduct.
She was bailed by police to appear in court later this month.
Police will allege the additional charges relate to injuries sustained by children who were taken to hospital.
Banksia Road Primary School reopened yesterday after the tragedy with additional teaching staff from nearby schools and grief counsellors sent from the Department of Education to support children, families and school staff.
Less than 90 of the 570 children enrolled at the school attended on Wednesday. All but one of the 54 teachers were at work.
The school gates were lined with flowers, balloons and a makeshift memorial filled with tributes on Wednesday.
Two eight-year-old girls and a nine-year-old girl were taken to hospital after the crash at the Greenacre school, and two of them were discharged on Wednesday afternoon.