Canada: Five Indian students killed, two injured in road-accident
Five Indian students were killed in a road accident and two others were seriously injured in Canada on Saturday, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Monday. The accident involved a collision between a van and a tractor-trailer on Highway 401 at 03:45 am in Quinte West city in Southern Ontario. The victims died on the spot, while the tractor-trailer's driver remained unhurt.
The deceased were identified as Harpreet Singh, Jaspinder Singh, Karanpal Singh, Mohit Chouhan, and Pawan Kumar. All of them were students in the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas. The victims were aged between 21 and 24 years and were all traveling west in a passenger van when the vehicle crashed with the tractor-trailer, the Canadian police said.
Ajay Bisaria, India's High Commissioner to Canada along with External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar, mourned the death of the five students and offered condolences. "Heart-breaking tragedy in Canada: 5 Indians students passed away in an auto accident near Toronto on Saturday. Two others in hospital. Deepest condolences to the families of the victims," Basaria wrote on Twitter.
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
According to the Ontario Provincial Police's Quinte West detachment, police were notified about the crash between a tractor-trailer and a passenger van in the highway's westbound lanes around 3:45 am. As per the police, no charges have been laid. "It is a tragedy", an Ontario police official reportedly said after the accident. The police also said that an investigation into the accident is underway.
According to Const. Maggie Pickett, it could take some time for investigators to figure out what caused the crash, CBC reported Pickett refused to comment on the road or weather conditions, but according to Environment Canada data, there could have been light snow in the area at the time of the crash. The road remained closed for 10 hours following the accident.
