Two Indian students from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry died in an aircraft accident in Canada during flight training, the Consulate General of India in Vancouver said on Sunday. The consulate expressed condolences to the families of the two students.
In a post on X, the consulate 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 said.
Consulate Offers Assistance
The Indian mission said it was ready to provide all possible consular assistance to the families, including help with the repatriation of the mortal remains to India.
Further details about the accident were not immediately available. Canadian news outlet CBC, however, reported an aircraft crash involving two people on Saturday. It could not be independently established from the information available whether the incident reported by CBC was the same crash involving the two Indian students.
Cessna Crashes Near Kisbey
According to CBC, a Cessna 172 operated by Harv’s Air crashed near Kisbey in Saskatchewan early on Friday morning, killing both people on board.
The aircraft was carrying two licensed pilots on a night cross-country flight from Regina to Steinbach in Manitoba via Carlyle, Saskatchewan. The pilots had rented the aircraft to accumulate flying hours towards their commercial pilot licences, CBC reported, citing Harv’s Air president Adam Penner.
Aircraft Failed To Arrive
The aircraft was reported to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada after it failed to reach its expected destination by 10.30 am Central Daylight Time.
Search and rescue teams located the aircraft at around 6 pm, according to the flight school’s statement. Both occupants were found dead at the crash site.
Rescue Teams Locate Wreckage
Lieutenant Zoë Hollander, a public affairs officer for the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton, said the agency led and coordinated the response after the aircraft was reported overdue.
“A CC 138 Hercules from 435 squadron successfully located the crash site, and then inserted search and rescue technicians by parachute,” Hollander said.
She said the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre later transferred the case to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police after the search and rescue operation ended.
Also Watch:
Third Harv’s Air Incident Since 2025
CBC reported that the crash was the third reported incident involving Harv’s Air, a flight school based in St Andrews, Manitoba, since January 2025.
In January 2025, 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 after their single-engine aircraft collided in mid-air during a training exercise.
The latest deaths bring renewed attention to the risks involved in flight training, particularly as pilots accumulate the flying hours required for commercial licences. However, with details of the accident still limited and no cause given in the available information, it would be premature to draw conclusions about what led to the crash.
