Canada road accident: 2 Indian students out of danger, 1 escaped unhurt

PTI

Toronto, March 15

Two Indian students injured in an accident in Canada are out of danger and another had a lucky escape, India's envoy here has said in an update on the horrific road crash.

Five Indian students were killed in a road accident in Canada's Ontario province on March 12. The accident between a passenger van and a tractor-trailer took place on Saturday on Highway 401 in the Quinte West city in Southern Ontario.

India's High Commissioner in Canada Ajay Bisaria, in an update on the accident, said that two of the injured persons are still in hospital while another student escaped unhurt.

Update on tragic accident in which 5 Indians were killed near Toronto on Sat: two injured still in hospital, mercifully out of danger. One other student in the van carrying 8 persons escaped unhurt. @IndiainToronto team is in touch with friends/family for all help. @MEAIndia

— Ajay Bisaria (@Ajaybis) March 14, 2022

"Update on a tragic accident in which 5 Indians were killed near Toronto on Sat: two injured still in hospital, mercifully out of danger. One other student in the van carrying 8 persons escaped unhurt. @IndiainToronto team is in touch with friends/family for all help. @MEAIndia", Bisaria tweeted on Monday.

Harpreet Singh, 24; Jaspinder Singh, 21; Karanpal Singh, 21; Mohit Chouhan, 23 and Pawan Kumar, 23 were pronounced dead at the scene.

They all studied in the Montreal or Greater Toronto areas, GlobalNews reported.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday mourned the death of the five Indian students and said the Indian mission in Toronto will provide all necessary support and assistance.

Deeply mourn the passing away of 5 Indian students in Canada. Condolences to their families. Pray for the recovery of those injured. @IndiainToronto will provide all necessary support and assistance. https://t.co/MAkMz0uwJ7

— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) March 14, 2022

A spokesman from Canada College, a Montreal school that caters to international students, said at least three of those who died and one of two injured survivors studied at the school.

John David Couturier said the school administration is devastated by the loss and is scrambling to support students and arrange to send the victims' bodies back to India, the report said.

“We're all in a state of shock”, the spokesman said.

“I can only imagine the families in India, they're so far away, and now there are two students in the hospital that don't have their families here.” Couturier said most of the victims associated with the school had been studying business administration.

Dr. Shivendra Dwivedi, who heads an organization called Canada India Global Forum, said the community is shaken by the loss.

“We're very sad with this tragedy, and we feel very, very bad for the families and the students that lost their lives”, he said. “It's a horrible tragedy, and I think the community is grieving.” Dwivedi said his group was mobilizing resources to provide grief counselling for the victims' friends in Canada.

OPP spokeswoman Maggie Pickett said on Monday that police believe the van was stopped by the side of the highway when the crash occurred. The investigation into the crash is continuing, and no charges have been laid.

One passenger, who had exited the van, as well as the tractor-trailer driver, were uninjured, Pickett said, while two of the van's occupants were taken to hospital in serious condition.

Couturier said Canada College has offered to repatriate the bodies to India and pay the cost of its students' funerals, the report added.

Every year, thousands of Indian students visit Canada for higher education.

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