Five Indian students killed in Canada road accident

Ontario Provincial Police

High Commissioner of India to Canada, Ajay Bisaria termed the incident a "heart - breaking tragedy" in a tweet. 

Five Indian students were killed in a road accident in Canada's Ontario on Saturday, 12 March. All in their 20s. India's High Commissioner to Canada Ajay Bisaria on Monday, 14 March, said that the road accident took place near Toronto. Two others have been hospitalized after suffering injuries. 

They were travelling in collided with a tractor - trailer on Ontario high way, Canadian police said. 

The Canadian Press reported that the incident, between a van and a tractor trailer, took place on Saturday on Highway 401 in the Quinte West City in Southern Ontario. 

The victims were aged between 21 to 24 years. Harpreet Singh (24), Jaspinder Singh (21), Karanpal Singh (22), Mohit Chouhan (23) and Pawan Kumar (23) were pronounced dead at the scene. The police said that they were all students in the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas.

Bisaria wrote in a tweet, "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 family of the victims. @IndiainToronto team in touch with friends of the victims for assistance. " 

External Affairs Minister of India Dr. S Jaishankar also expressed his condolences in a tweet. He tweeted, “Deeply mourn the passing away the 5 Indian students in Canada. Condolences to their families. Pray for the recovery of those injured. @IndiainToronto will provide all necessary support and assistance." 

The road accident is the second tragic incident involving Indian nationals in Canada in three months. 

Every year, thousands of Indian students visit Canada for higher education. 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.