A family and community are grieving over the loss of three siblings from Iowa who were killed in a vehicular crash in Kenya.
Two of them — Emmanuel DeLeon, 13, and Kairu Winkelpleck, 6 — died earlier this month in what was described as a “devastating road accident” in Soysambu, Gilgil, along Nairobi-Nakuru Highway, according to NBC affiliate KWWL and Kenyan media outlets The Star, Tuko and Citizen Digital.
The third sibling, Njeri DeLeon, 16, later died after being treated at an ICU, according to an update shared on the GoFundMe created to help the family.
«On January 4th, while on a dream family trip to Kenya, Leah’s family was involved in a devastating road accident,» the fundraiser description read.
«We are heartbroken to share that Emmanuel, an 8th grader at Hoover Middle School, Waterloo, Iowa and his younger brother Kairu passed away at the scene.»
“While their parents are physically safe, they are now facing a parent’s worst nightmare in a foreign country,” the fundraiser stated at the time.
On Jan. 16, an updated posted to the fundraiser confirmed Njeri’s death: «It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Njeri today. We will keep you informed regarding the funeral. Thank you.»
The siblings were from Waterloo, Iowa, the media outlets reported. Hoover Middle School, where Emmanuel attended, noted the tragic accident in a social media post on Jan. 8. The school later held a balloon release in memory of Emmanuel on Jan. 13.
A memorial service was later conducted for Emmanuel, Njeri and Kairu at the International Christian Centre, Nairobi, on Friday, Jan. 23, Tuko reported.
Wangui Ndirangu, the children’s mother, spoke at the service about how she wished she had more time with them.
“No words can truly describe this moment,” Ndirangu said, Tuko reported. “This is only to express where our hearts are.
If I had known I would lose all of you in one day, I would have turned back the hands of time and done a million things differently.
I would have laughed with you more, listened more, and spent even more time with you. I would have been more careful, more attentive, pushed you more, and said ‘I love you’ more often.”
The Kenya Police Service and the GoFundMe organizer did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment on Monday, Jan. 26.
