Families of Greenacre school tragedy break their silence

The families of two boys killed when a car ploughed into their classroom are still coming to terms with losing them.

Andrew Encinas, nine, and his best friend Jihad Darwiche, eight, died last month at Banksia Road Public School in Greenacre, Sydney.

The families have kept a low profile since the funerals, where Jihad’s father incredibly forgave the driver of the car while he was riding in his son’s hearse.

The mothers of the Andrew Encinas (left) and Jihad Darwiche (right), who were killed when a car slammed into their classroom in Western Sydney, have met to comfort each other

The boys were tragically killed in November died last month after a two-tonne SUV ploughed into Banksia Road Public School (pictured)

But relatives of both boys broke their silence on Tuesday after meeting to share the pain of losing such young children so suddenly.

‘One minute he was sitting at his desk in school and the next he’s dead,’ Andrew’s uncle uncle Paul Mace told The Daily Telegraph

‘We are still trying to get our heads around the fact that we dropped him off at school in the morning and in the afternoon we had to identify his body.’ 

Drawn together following the tragedy, the boys’ parents Nicole Encinas and Susanne Darwiche shared their grief and the struggle of losing their children.

Nicole Encinas said Andrew’s death had hit the family hard, especially his 13-year-old brother who had been left ‘absolutely devastated’ (Pictured are mourners at Andrew’s funeral)

Mrs Encinas said Andrew’s death had hit the family hard, especially his 13-year-old brother who had been left ‘absolutely devastated’.

‘His death has left a big hole in our lives, it’s still too raw and painful for us to talk about,’ she. 

She added that Andrew had been a ‘beautiful’ and ‘joyful’ child, who could light up any room he entered. 

‘His death has left a big hole in our lives, it’s still too raw and painful for us to talk about,’ Mrs Encinas said

Susanne Darwiche said she shared the other mother’s grief and feels like she ‘fighting for air’ (Picutured is Jihad’s father Raed Darwiche, right, among the mourners at Andrew’s funeral)

Ms Darwiche said she shared her grief and that the pair had never expected to lose their sons at a ‘place you think they would be safe’.

‘I cannot sleep, I feel like I’m fighting for air and I suffer from deep anxiety,’ Mrs Darwiche said.

However, she said she harboured no animosity towards the driver and was overwhelmed by the support of the community.

Maha Al-Shennag, 52, has been charged over the incident, which occurred around 9.45am on November 7. 

Maha Al-Shennag, 52, has been charged over the incident, which occurred around 9.45am on November 7