ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. – A family camping trip turned tragic Friday night, as three siblings were reported missing near the James River in Rockbridge County.
Search efforts quickly turned to recovery efforts overnight.
Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office says three bodies were pulled from the river Saturday morning.
The children’s uncle El Hadji Niang — heartbroken.
“My sister called me and said her three children were missing. I asked what happened and she said they went camping for the weekend and then probably they went to just touch the water, and all three of them drowned,” Niang said.
He says he believes the children didn’t realize how deep the water was.
“They just went on and one after the other was struggling. The other was trying to help the other ones and finally, all three of them drowned,” Niang said.
They didn’t have life jackets on because the trip wasn’t for swimming — according to family.
“This is a teaching moment and a learning stage that people should learn from,” he said.
The uncle identified the three as 19-year-old Omar Wade and his two sisters, 16-year-old Marieme and 10-year-old Aicha.
He says the three of them were dedicated to their faith and schooling.
“This is a big loss because these are the only children they had,” he said.
Niang says the family is clinging to their faith.
“Very sad and very very hurt. I cannot describe my feeling because that’s my nieces and nephews,” he said.
The Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Department would like to thank the ten agencies that helped with the search and recovery.