Ethiopia Plane Crash: Kenyan family holds funeral for 5 members killed in crash

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02:28

A Kenyan family has held a funeral for five of its members who died in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash. John Karanja lost his wife, daughter and three grandchildren in the accident. Daniel Arapmoi brings us this report.

Distraught and sobbing relatives and friends poured into John Karanja's ancestral home in Kwa Amos Village Bahati sub-country in Nakuru.

They are here to witness the final send-off of the five family members whose lives were cut short by the tragic Ethiopian Airline plane crash.

The gathering at St. Michael's church had a powerful message, to unite as a community in mourning the dead and forever remember their good deeds while on earth.

Words alone cannot describe the grief and pain John Karanja has got to live with.

JOHN KARANJA FATHER WHO LOST FIVE MEMBERS IN PLANE CRASH "What God did was the right thing because his will should be done on earth as it is in heaven."

DANIEL ARAP MOI NAKURU, KENYA "A burial with no coffins and no bodies to bury. This is the emotional final send-off given to five family members of John Karanja who died in the plane crash."

This is all that is left in memory of John Karanja's family.

Hundreds of mourners here are yet to come to terms with just placing flowers instead of bodies in the coffins.

WILLIAM RUTO DEPUTY PRESIDENT, KENYA "As government of Kenya through the ministry of foreign affairs, we are going to work with the families until we put this matter to rest."

Mr. Karanja's family sudden death came as his wife was returning from Canada where she had gone to help her daughter Caroline Karanja, who had just given birth and had two other young children to look after.

March 10th will forever be remembered as a dark day that took the life of Ms. Karanja, their daughter Caroline and her children Ryan Njoroge, Kelly Paul, and Ruby Paul, the little baby boy who was just 9 months old.

The Ethiopian Airlines flight 302 crashed minutes after take-off southeast of Bishoftu killing all 157 people on board.

Daniel Arapmoi, CGTN, Nakuru, Kenya.