2 Indian students killed in Canada plane crash during flight training; consulate expresses grief

Two Indian students from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry died in an air accident in Canada during flight training, the Consulate General of India in Vancouver said on Sunday (local time), expressing condolences.

The consulate, in a post on X, identified the deceased as Manoj Sivakumar and Srisaran Thirugnanasambantham. “Our heartfelt sympathies are with their bereaved families and loved ones during this difficult time,” it added.

The embassy said that it was ready to provide all possible consular assistance to their families, including the repatriation of their mortal remains to India.

Further details about the accident involving the two Indian students were not immediately available.

Canadian news outlet CBC reported a similar aircraft accident on Saturday, although HT could not independently verify whether it was the same incident.

2 student die in Canadian air accident

According to a CBC report, a Cessna 172 plane operated by Harv's Air, the flight school that registered the aircraft, crashed near Kisbey, Saskatchewan, early Friday morning (local time), killing both people on board.

The aircraft was carrying two licensed pilots on a night cross-country flight from Regina to Steinbach, Manitoba, via Carlyle, Saskatchewan. The pilots had rented the plane to accumulate flight hours towards their commercial pilot licences, CBC reported, citing a statement by Adam Penner, president of Harv's Air.

The aircraft was reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada after it failed to arrive at its expected destination by 10.30 am Central Daylight Time (CDT).

Search and rescue bid

According to the flight school's statement, search and rescue teams located the aircraft at around 6 pm CDT, and both occupants were found dead at the scene.

Lieutenant Zoë Hollander, a public affairs officer for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) in Trenton, said the agency led and coordinated the response to the overdue aircraft.

"A CC 138 Hercules from 435 squadron successfully located the crash site, and then inserted search and rescue technicians by parachute," Hollander said.

She added that the JRCC transferred the case to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) after the search and rescue operation was completed.

The crash marks the third reported incident involving Harv's Air, a flight school based in St. Andrews, Manitoba, since January 2025, the Canadian news outlet reported.

In January last year, an instructor employed by the school was seriously injured after being struck by the propeller of a small aircraft while a student attempted to start its engine.

In July 2025, two student pilots were killed when their single-engine aircraft collided mid-air during a training exercise