Two Indian From Tamil Nadu, Puducherry Die in Canada Air Accident

Two Indian students from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry have died in an air accident in Canada during flight training, the Consulate General of India in Vancouver said on Sunday. The victims were identified as Manoj Sivakumar and Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham.

“Our heartfelt sympathies are with their bereaved families and loved ones during this difficult time,” the consulate said in a post on X. It said it was ready to provide all possible assistance to their families, including help with the repatriation of their remains. The consulate did not release details of the accident.

Separately, CBC reported that a Cessna 172 registered to flight school Harv’s Air crashed near Kisbey, Saskatchewan, early on Friday, killing both people aboard. It has not been verified whether CBC’s report concerns the accident involving the Indian students.

According to CBC, Harv’s Air president Adam Penner said the two occupants were licensed pilots who had rented the aircraft to build flying hours towards commercial pilot licences. They were travelling at night from Regina to Steinbach, Manitoba, via Carlyle, Saskatchewan.

The aircraft was reported overdue after it failed to reach its expected destination by 10.30 am local time. Search and rescue teams found it at around 6 pm, and both occupants were found dead at the scene, the flight school said.

“A CC 138 Hercules from 435 squadron successfully located the crash site, and then inserted search and rescue technicians by parachute,” Lieutenant Zoë Hollander of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton said. The case was transferred to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the search operation, she added.