Family mourns Indian student killed in Canada air accident "our dreams for him are shattered"

• Manoj Sivakumar and Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham were killed in Canada.
• The two students were from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.
• The accident happened during their flight training.
• India’s Vancouver consulate expressed condolences to their families.
• Consular assistance is being offered for repatriation.

Two Indian students have died in a tragic air accident in Canada while they were undergoing flight training, according to the Indian mission. The victims were identified as Manoj Sivakumar from Tamil Nadu and Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham from Puducherry.

The deaths have left two families in India facing the sudden loss of young lives that had been tied to hopes of building careers in aviation. Both students were in Canada for flight training when the fatal accident occurred.

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver expressed its condolences on Sunday (20), acknowledging the loss and offering support to the families during the difficult period. In a post on X, the mission said:

“The Consulate General of India, Vancouver, expresses its deepest condolences on the tragic demise of Shri Manoj Sivakumar and Shri Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham, two Indian students from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, who lost their lives in a tragic air accident in Canada during their flight training,” the mission said in a post on X.

“Our heartfelt sympathies are with their bereaved families and loved ones during this difficult time. The Consulate stands ready to extend all possible consular assistance to the families in connection with the repatriation of the mortal remains to India. May the departed souls rest in peace,” it said.

A devastating loss for two families

For the families of Sivakumar and Thirugnanasambantham, the news marks a devastating turn in what was expected to be the beginning of their professional lives. Details about their personal backgrounds and their aviation ambitions have not been released by Indian authorities.

The Indian consulate has said it is prepared to provide all possible assistance to the families, including arrangements connected with the repatriation of the students’ remains to India.

Details of the accident

Canadian media have separately reported a small aircraft crash near Kisbey, Saskatchewan, involving a Cessna 172 operated by Harv’s Air. According to those reports, the aircraft was on a night cross-country flight and was later located by search-and-rescue teams, with both people on board found dead.

However, reports have cautioned that it has not been independently established that this aircraft was the same one involved in the deaths of Sivakumar and Thirugnanasambantham. The circumstances and cause of the accident involving the two Indian students therefore remain subject to official confirmation.

The incident has brought grief to communities in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, as the families await further information and assistance from authorities. For those closest to the two students, the focus now is on bringing them home and mourning lives cut short while they were pursuing their aviation training in Canada.