Two men who died in a horror crash in Sydney’s Darling Harbour on Saturday morning have been named as brothers.
Jeff and Steve Nasr, aged 39 and 31, were killed along with a third unidentified female passenger, after the car they were travelling in flipped and caught fire.
A fourth occupant, father-of-four Joseph Bagala, survived the crash after he was freed from the wreck by police officers.
Brothers Jeff and Steve Nasr (pictured), were killed along with a third unidentified female passenger in a fiery crash in Sydney’s Darling Harbour Saturday morning
The brothers’ mother was reportedly informed of their passing Sunday morning and was being comforted by her four other children, according to Seven News.
Andre Nasr, believed to be their cousin, was among those who paid tribute to the men online.
‘Rest In Eternal Peace, Jeff and Steve Nasr. Words can’t come close to the emptiness you’ve left behind, hearts are weeping and tears are flowing,’ he wrote.
‘Fly free my brothers, you’ve gained your wings. We may have lost our brothers but Heaven gained two angels.’
While another family member took to Facebook to state they were devastated by the loss of ‘two brothers, two sons, two friends and two great humans’.
‘Please say a little prayer to give all of us the strength to deal with it as humanly possible.’
Andre Nasr, believed to be a cousin of the brothers (pictured), was among those who paid tribute to the men online, saying ‘words can’t come close to the emptiness you’ve left behind’
While another family member took to Facebook to state they were devastated by the loss of ‘two brothers, two sons, two friends and two great humans’
The crash is believed to have occurred when the two-door Nissan GT-R R35 struck a guard rail outside the Novotel Rockford Hotel.
The supercar can hit a top acceleration of 311km/h, with Superintendent Paul Pisanos saying speed was a factor in the crash, The Sydney Morning Herald reports.
Father-of-four Joseph Bagala (pictured) was the sole survivor of the fiery crash
‘Speed – and considerable speed at that – along with a loss of control are two contributing factors,’ he said.
It’s believed the car flipped after hitting the railing around 3am Saturday at the intersection of Harbour and Pier streets.
Mr Bagala was freed from the car before it was engulfed in flames, with witnesses claiming the victims ‘screamed for help as they burned alive’.
Mr Bagala was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics at the scene before being taken to St Vincent’s Hospital with lacerations and burns to his body.
His cousin Anthony Bagal later told Seven News the family were extremely thankful for the officers bravery to go in and pull him from the car.
‘To find out that the New South Wales Police pulled him out of that car with it on fire is just amazing,’ he said.
The crash is believed to have occurred when the two-door Nissan GT-R R35 struck a guard rail outside the Novotel Rockford Hotel and flipped onto its roof (pictured)
Emergency services were called to Harbour Street, in Sydney just before 3am (pictured)
The Novotel was evacuated as guests reported smelling smoke coming from the blaze on the street below.
Novotel Rockford guest Sonia Ripepi was woken up by a huge bang and saw the car flipped over on the street outside her window.
‘Then a taxi driver pulled over and he jumped out trying to get the passengers out,’ she told the Daily Telegraph.
‘He was screaming “get out, get out”. The taxi driver was really distressed, he couldn’t get any closer to the car.
The supercar can hit a top acceleration of 311km/h, with Superintendent Paul Pisanos saying speed and loss of control were factors in the crash
‘There were lots of screams still coming out of the car.’
Superintendent Pisanos, from Sydney City Local Area Command said that four police officers put their own welfare on the line to try to extinguish a volatile fire and save lives.
Police are still trying to identify the third victim, a woman whose age is also unknown.
The coroner is expected to prepare a report on the incident following an investigation.
The coroner is expected to prepare a report on the incident following an investigation