The Indian Consulate in Vancouver has identified the victims of a tragic plane crash that occurred on September 18 near Kisbey, Saskatchewan. The two victims were Indian students, Shri Manoj Sivakumar and Shri Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham, originally from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, respectively. In a statement posted on X, the Consulate expressed its heartfelt condolences and stated that they are providing support to the families during the process of repatriating the bodies.
The two licensed pilots had rented a Cessna 172 from Harv’s Air, a flight school based in St. Andrews, Manitoba. They were on a night flight from Regina to Steinbach, Manitoba, with a route that included Carlyle, Saskatchewan. The aircraft was reported overdue for arrival around 10:30 a.m. CDT on the day of the crash.
A search and rescue operation was initiated and led by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton. Lieutenant Zoë Hollander, a public affairs officer with the JRCC, confirmed that the crash site was located in a remote area near Kisbey by 6 p.m. CDT. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and search and rescue technicians responded to the scene.
The RCMP have stated that the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) is in charge of investigating the cause of the crash. The TSB is expected to release a preliminary summary of their findings by the end of the week.
