Families pay tribute to teens killed in Truganina crash

Devastated families have paid tribute to the “incredible souls” of four young men killed in a horrific car crash in Truganina.

Devastated families have paid tribute to the “incredible souls” of the four young men killed in a horrific car accident in Truganina.

Kevin ‘Memo’ Reech, 16, and cousins Saeed Husen, 17, and Ilyas Abdullahi, 15, were among the four who lost their lives when the sedan they were travelling in hit a truck on Thursday night.

Two of the boys died at the scene, two died as they arrived at hospital and the remaining two occupants were admitted to hospital with life-threatening injuries.

The family of Saeed and Ilyas said both boys would be remembered for their “kind smiles”.

“Our family is mourning the tragic passing of our beloved Saeed and Ilyas,” they wrote in a statement.

“To think about life without them is so painful, but we are using this moment to remember them for kind smiles, warm hearts and friendly nature. We ask for space as we grieve during this most difficult of times – and our thoughts are with the other families who are grieving with us.”

A collage of family photos of Kevin 'Memo' Reech. Picture: Supplied

Akuch Reech said her “beautiful baby brother” would be loved forever.

“Memo was an amazing son, brother and friend to everyone,” she said. “He is loved by many and I wish he could have seen that before he left this world. He never did no wrong and always went out of his way to aid those in need. Such a young, innocent, sweet and caring soul taken too soon.”

A community elder – who did not wish to be named but has been working closely with the families – said it was a tragedy to lose so many young lives.

“They were just incredible souls,” he said. “They were friendly, warm-hearted. They were just kind and so loved by their peers.”

He said their shattered community was doing everything it could to support the families and he was speaking to them over Zoom.

“We’re grieving and praying,” he said. “The families, as you can imagine, it’s a tough time for them. This is nothing to with the boys’ race, or faith or where they come from. It’s just an unfortunate, tragic accident.”

A young man remains in a critical condition at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and the Major Collision Investigation Unit is still investigating the crash.

A GoFundMe fundraiser is available online, seeking donations for funeral costs for the Reech family.

To donate to the GoFundMe click here.