Five Indian students killed in Canada road accident, officials term it as 'heart-breaking'

In a tragic incident, five Indian students have been killed in a road accident in Canada's Ontario province, according to the Canadian police. The accident between a passenger van and a tractor-trailer took place on March 12 on Highway 401 in the Quinte West city in Southern Ontario, The Canadian Press reported.

Harpreet Singh, Jaspinder Singh, Karanpal Singh, Mohit Chouhan and Pawan Kumar were pronounced dead at the scene, Ontario Provincial Police in Quinte West said in a statement. The victims were aged between 21 and 24 years. The police said that they were all students in the Greater Toronto and Montreal areas.

High Commissioner of India to Canada Ajay Bisaria took to Twitter and said, "Heart-breaking tragedy in Canada: 5 Indian students passed away in an auto accident near Toronto on March 12. Two others in the hospital.My deepest condolences to the families of the victims. @IndiainToronto team in touch with friends of the victims for assistance." 

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 per cent, according to a report published last year quoting the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

The road accident is the second tragic incident involving Indian nationals in Canada in three months. In January, four Indians, including an infant, were found dead near the Canada-US border in Manitoba. According to Canadian authorities, the family from Gujarat died due to exposure to extreme cold.