Abdul Razak Tarawaley farewelled after boy, 9, died in freak garage door accident

The young boy killed in a freak accident involving the garage door of his Melbourne apartment building has been farewelled in a moving service.

At the northern edge of one of Melbourne’s biggest cemeteries on Friday morning, hundreds of people from Melbourne’s African community gathered in the rare sunshine to farewell the young victim of one of the most harrowing domestic tragedies in recent memory.

Abdul Razak Tarawaley, 9, was killed in a freak accident at his home in Newport, in Melbourne’s west on Saturday night, when he became trapped between a garage door and a metal grate while playing with a friend at his family home.

As is customary in Sierra Leone’s Islamic culture, the men stood by the ground where Abdul’s body was lowered, while the women watched on from a distance in a brief but highly emotional service at the Northern Memorial Park.

Hundreds gathered at the public funeral of Abdul Razak Tarawaley. Picture NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Abdul Razack Tarawaley died after being trapped in the garage door of his apartment. Picture: Supplied

Abdul was found by his father, who shares the same name, at 7.30pm after what was described by the family as a “split-second accident” that also left his friend, who is understood to be 12, in a critical condition.

Abdul, a pupil at Newport Gardens Primary School and an avid soccer player for the Altona East under-11s, was remembered as an “energetic” young boy with a “beautiful face and smile” by his loved ones.

The funeral began earlier in the morning at the Australian Islamic Centre in Newport, where the traditional four takbirs were repeated before Abdul’s coffin was transferred to Northern Memorial Park.

At the burial, there was a crowd of more than 100 people.

Abdul Razak Tarawaley’s father, who shares his name, at his son’s burial. Picture NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Mourners at Abdul’s burial in Melbourne on Friday morning. Picture NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

The scene left the father, among many others, often unable to speak, while Abdul’s mother decided to leave the burial abruptly.

A friend of the family, Hamedi, who had flown from Sydney, said large public funerals were the norm for the community.

“Part of the religion, part of the culture, part of the tradition,” he told NCA NewsWire at the service.

Hamedi said the family still “can’t process” Abdul’s sudden and tragic death, one reason for the large turnout.

He said the Australian Islamic Council paid for the funeral costs, while the family had also received generous donations from Abdul’s school, the Sierra Leone community of Victoria and various African groups.

Also in attendance was Abdul’s soccer coach and representatives of Newport Gardens Primary School.

Abdul’s family at Friday’s burial, which large numbers from Melbourne’s Sierra Leonean community attended. Picture NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Family members at the Australian Islamic Centre earlier on Friday morning, where traditional prayers were repeated. Picture NCA NewsWire / Ian Currie

Abdul’s father told Channel 7 on Sunday that he thought his son and his friend were playing hide and seek when he found the pair.

“The other boy said ‘help me, God, help me, God, help me, God’,” he said.

“I tried to pull on the gate but it was too big, too heavy.”

When he noticed his child was cold, he told his wife to call triple-0.

Paramedics treated Abdul at the scene; however, he could not be saved.

From Friday’s burial, family and friends were gathering at a home in Altona for the rest of the day, Hamedi said.

The GoFundMe for Abdul has so far raised nearly $12,000.

Originally published as Abdul Razak Tarawaley farewelled after boy, 9, died in freak garage door accident