In the Bronx, mourners came together on Tuesday to attend the funeral service of two sisters who tragically drowned at Coney Island Beach last week.
At an outdoor service held in front of the Ghanian Islamic & Cultural Center, which is the place where Zainab, 17, and Aisha Mohammed, 18, attended weekend classes, hundreds of community members gathered to pay tribute to the two girls.
Mariam Mohammed expressed her gratitude to the entire community for showing love to her sisters during the gathering.
As she spoke, she struggled to suppress her tears.
“She said her sisters were loving and caring,” is how she described them.
The father of the sisters, Mohammed Ahmed, expressed his grief, “We have lost so much, and it’s a great loss.”
The service was graced by the presence of Mayor Eric Adams.
Adams expressed his sympathy for the family, acknowledging the pain that comes with burying one’s own child. “It’s a heartbreaking situation,” he said.
According to their relatives and friends, the girls were exceptional students with promising futures.
According to one individual, the children are always thrilled to see you and greet you with a warm hello. Their happiness is evident and contagious.
How the tragedy happened
According to family members, the sisters found themselves in rough waters on Friday night, approximately two hours after lifeguards had ended their shift.
According to authorities, emergency calls were received at approximately 8 p.m. reporting that Zainab and Aisha Mohammed, along with a cousin, were in distress in the water. Despite efforts to save them, Zainab and Aisha were tragically pulled from the water in critical condition and succumbed to their injuries at the hospital. Fortunately, their cousin was rescued and is safe.
Ahmed is still struggling to come to terms with the tragic incident where two of his daughters drowned even as family members tried to rescue them.
Ahmed recounted the heart-wrenching scene in front of his daughter, Mariam. Despite her efforts to dive in, she couldn’t reach the water. “You just imagine,” he said.
Community leaders emphasized the importance of developing additional initiatives that can educate the youth about swimming.
As one of the youth leaders pointed out, their backgrounds don’t always lend themselves to learning how to swim at an early age. However, they recognize the value in having this life skill and see it as a valuable tool. They hope that their communities, as well as the government and local government, can offer support in this area.
