Three Indians from Punjab were killed in a road accident in Mill Cove, New Brunswick, Canada. The incident occurred when the vehicle they were travelling in, carrying four individuals, lost a tyre, causing it to veer off the highway. Three were thrown from the vehicle and died on the spot.
The victims have been identified as Harman Somal, 23, and Navjot Somal, 19 are first cousins. The third victim Rashmdeep Kaur, 23, is the daughter of government teachers Bhupinder Singh and Suchet Kaur, from Samana in Sangrur district, according to the Tribune. The driver survived the accident.
Details from a fundraiser revealed that Harman and Rasham were working in a daycare in Moncton, while Navjot had recently arrived in Canada on a study visa.
They hailed from Malaud village in Ludhiana, according to the Tribune.
“We used to talk to Navjot and Harman almost every day, and they used to complain about their lifestyle in Canada. Though I had asked my son to come back but one can never predict what the destiny has in store for us,” said Ranjit Singh, father of one of the cousins, as quoted by Tribune.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) provided a detailed statement, "A 19-year-old man and two 23-year-old women, all from Moncton, have died as the result of a single-vehicle crash in Mill Cove, N.B. On July 27, 2024, at approximately 9:35 p.m., members of the Oromocto and Keswick RCMP detachments responded to a report of a single-vehicle crash on Highway 2 in Mill Cove."
"The crash is believed to have occurred when the vehicle, traveling Westbound, lost a tire causing the driver to lose control and left the highway. The three passengers were ejected from the vehicle and died at the scene as a result of their injuries. The driver was transported to hospital with what are believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. Members of the Jemseg Fire Department, Ambulance New Brunswick, and a RCMP collision reconstructionist also attended the scene," it added.
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Canada Crash Victims' Family Seeks Union & Punjab Governments' Help In Repatriation Of Bodies
Fatehgarh Sahib MP Amar Singh Boparai said that he has taken up the issue with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. “Having learnt about the tragic incidents and double whammy suffered by the Somal family, I talked to the minister who assured me that he would coordinate with the authorities in Canada to get the process for the repatriation of the bodies expedited,” said Boparai, as per Tribune's report.
This comes as the village residents led by lawyer Baljinder Singh have urged the Union and the Punjab government to help facilitate the transportation of the bodies to India.
A GoFundMe page has been established to help send the bodies of the deceased Indian students back to India. The fundraiser, organised by Rajpreet Singh, states: "Hi, my name is Rajpreet and I'm fundraising for my brother Navjot Somal and sisters Harman Somal, Rasham Judge. My brother came from India a few months ago on a study permit, and my sisters were working in a daycare in Moncton. They died yesterday in a car accident near Oromocto, New Brunswick. We need funds to send their bodies back to India."
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172 Indian Students Died In Canada In Five Years
According to recent data provided by Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in the Lok Sabha, 633 incidents of deaths of Indian students abroad were reported in the last five years due to various reasons, including natural causes. Canada topped the list with 172 cases. Additionally, 19 Indian students died abroad due to attacks during the same period, with nine deaths reported from Canada and six from the US. Other countries with significant numbers include the US with 108 deaths, the UK with 58, Australia with 57, and Russia with 37.