SINGAPORE - The bodies of the three Singaporeans killed in a horrific crash in Johor on Christmas Day were cremated on Tuesday (Dec 29).

In front of a hearse hung a family picture of Mr Barnabas Lim, 45, owner of a car-polishing business, Ms Kristen Ng, 39, a property agent and their six-year-old son Rayshon Lim, all beaming widely.

The couple's younger son, three-year-old Evan Lim, was in hospital recuperating from his injuries unaware that a funeral was being held for his parents and older brother.

Relatives have yet to break the news of their deaths to Evan, who suffered second- and third-degree burns to his legs and slight burns on his ear.

The family, who intended to holiday in Kuantan, were headed towards Mersing when their Land Rover collided with an oncoming Toyota Corolla at the Sungai Dohol bridge near Kota Tinggi in Johor. Both vehicles burst into flames and a Malaysian woman driving the other car was also killed.

Relatives, including the late couple's siblings, struggled to hold back tears as the three coffins were loaded into hearses in Sin Ming Drive, where the wake was held.

Around 60 mourners turned up to pay their last respects, trailing behind the hearses as a song played in Mandarin: "Returning home, returning home, returning to the home that you came from..."

The late Mr Lim was a doting father who wanted his sons to experience parental love in ways he did not, his younger brother told reporters. "When we were young, our parents did not have much time for us. Most of the time, they were working hard to support us," said 44-year-old businessman Lim Ah Kuan.

"We felt that we should give our children more parental love. Once we got married and had children, we loved them and treasured them. We tried to care for them the best that we could."