Pictured: The three toddlers who died when their mother drove into lake

Four-year-old twins Madit and Anger were trapped inside the car. Photo / Nine News / Twitter

The three young Sudanese children who died when a car driven by their mother plunged into a lake near Melbourne have been identified.

One-year-old Bol and four-year-old twins Madit and Anger all died after the 4WD they were in crashed into a lake at Wyndham Vale in Melbourne's outer west just before 4pm on Wednesday.

The children's mother, Akorn Manang, was behind the wheel of grey 2005 Toyota Kluger when it plunged into the lake on Manor Lakes Boulevard.

The 35-year-old mother of seven is expected to be formally interviewed by police on Thursday after she was released from hospital.

Her five-year-old daughter named Awel was also in the car at the time and remains in a critical condition at the Royal Children's Hospital.

The children's father, who has been named as Joseph Tito, is believed to have died in South Sudan, according to his cousin Thomas Kok.

Mr Kok, who spent the night at the children's hospital with Awel, visited the crash site on Thursday morning to pay tribute to the children.

The family moved from South Sudan to Australia in 2008.

"It's a shock for everyone,' Mr Kok said, according to the Herald Sun. "We spent all night at hospital until 3 in the morning."

One-year-old Bol died with his brother and sister. Photo / Nine News / Twitter

It comes as the tight-knit Sudanese community and nearby residents started leaving floral tributes for the three children.

"As soon as I saw the community coming towards this scene where the incident's happened, it's making me feel like people care," Mr Kok said.

A witness Michelle relived the tragic moment the car ploughed into the lake on Thursday morning.

"It is still in my mind now, every time you close your eyes you just see someone so little," she told Nine News in tears.

"My heart goes out to the family and to everybody who witnessed it.

The car half submerged in the lake. Photo / Seven News

"Those rescuers, those workers, when it was winding down it was just devastating seeing them sitting in the gutter."

Michelle told 3AW late on Wednesday that her friend Travis rescued one of the young boys from the vehicle.

"Travis jumped into the water and smashed the back windscreen and got one little boy out. (Emergency workers) then started working on the child," she said.

"I only saw three get taken out. I believe they were travelling down the boulevard...and they've just gone over and into the lake."

- Daily Mail