Hundreds of people came together Saturday to remember one of the two men killed earlier this month in a horrific bus crash at Miami International Airport.
At Jehovah's Witness Kingdom Hall in Westchester, congregation members and relatives shared stories about Serafin Castillo, an 86-year-old grandfather figure from Miami.
“It’s been very sad,” said Castillo’s niece, Lillian Castillo. “We are very hurt by everything that has happened.”
Daniel Ponce, a minister and friend, remembered Castillo as a Christian who went house to house to teach about his faith.
Of Saturday’s gathering, Ponce said, “It was very somber, it was very sad.”
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He said Castillo’s friends “came to tears, especially when we sang the last song that talked about how we will see him and the friends were very moved.”
Ponce said that at the same time, they were "happy to be here today and to share bits and pieces of his life."
Castillo, a bus passenger, was killed on impact in the Dec. 1 crash.
Another passenger, 56-year-old Francisco Urana, died after being taken to a hospital.
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The day of the accident, the bus driver, Ramon Ferriero, 47, of Miami, was scheduled to take a 32-member group to a Jehovah’s Witnesses gathering in West Palm Beach, authorities said.
But Ferriero apparently got confused and drove to the airport, where the bus struck an 8-foot-6-inch concrete overpass entrance, police said. The driver was unhurt.
No charges have been filed during the pending investigation, police said.
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At Saturday’s gathering, people said they still were trying to cope.
"That has not gone away,” Ponce said. “We are very, very much in shock. No one [could have] predicted this, obviously."
Castillo’s relatives said they still are deciding how to lay him to rest. No funeral date has yet been set.
On Saturday, several bus passengers remained at area hospitals while others now are home recovering from their injuries.
