Five Indian students die in road accident in Canada
In a tragic accident, five Indian students were killed in a road accident in Canada on Saturday, March 12. The accident took place on Highway 401 in the Quinte West city in Southern Ontario, according to a Canadian press report. Ontario Provincial Police in Quinte West, in a statement, said that Harpreet Singh, Jaspinder Singh, Karanpal Singh, Mohit Chouhan and Pawan Kumar were pronounced dead at the scene. The victims were aged between 21 and 24 years. The police said that they were all students in the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas.
According to the report, the students were travelling west in a passenger van on Highway 401 on Saturday morning, when they collided with a tractor-trailer at around 3:45 am (local time). Two other passengers were taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries following the crash, the police said, adding that an investigation into the accident was underway even though no charges have been laid.
High Commissioner of India to Canada Ajay Bisaria called the incident a heart-breaking tragedy. “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. @IndiainToronto team in touch with friends of the victims for assistance”, he said.
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. @IndiainToronto team in touch with friends of the victims for assistance. @MEAIndia
— Ajay Bisaria (@Ajaybis) March 14, 2022
The number of Indian students attending Canadian universities rose from 76,075 in 2016 to 1,72,625 in 2018, an increase of 127%, according to a report published last year quoting the Canadian Bureau for International Education.
The road accident is the second tragic incident involving Indian nationals in Canada in three months. In January, four Indians, including an infant, were found dead near the Canada-US border in Manitoba. According to Canadian authorities, the family from Gujarat died due to exposure to extreme cold.