TORONTO: Two 25-year-old Indian trainee pilots were among three killed when a small plane crashed in the Canadian province of British Columbia, media reports said.
Abhay Gadru and Yash Ramugade from Mumbai were in a small twin-engined light aircraft, a Piper PA-34 Seneca, which crashed near the local airport in Chilliwack, close to Vancouver, on Friday.
The plane crashed behind a motel near the airport, killing the pilot and everyone on board, Sgt Pete Healey from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) was quoted as saying in CBC News.
According to the Vancouver Sun newspaper, Gadru had moved to Canada three years ago to complete pilot training. He was expected to graduate from a programme in November.
While the RCMP is notifying the victims’ next of kin, the report said that Gadru’s sibling Chirag, who also lives in British Columbia, is struggling to have his older brother’s remains transported home to their parents in India.
“The family is going through a lot right now,” a family friend told Vancouver Sun.
“Chirag is in Langley trying to fill out all of the necessary paperwork with the coroner, but processing has been difficult because it’s a long weekend,” he added.
The second person, Ramugade, was identified as an Indian from Mumbai by CTV News.
The cause of the crash remains unknown so far, and the Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it is sending investigators.
“The scene is contained and there were no other reported injuries or risks to the public in the area,” the RCMP said in a statement.
The British Columbia Emergency Health Services said five ambulances and a paramedic supervisor responded to the crash.
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