Indian couple, grandchild killed in fatal crash in Canada
AN Indian couple visiting Canada and their three-month-old grandchild were among four people killed on the spot in a multi-vehicle collision when Ontario police pursued a liquor store robbery suspect driving the wrong way.
All four people were pronounced dead at the scene on Highway 401 in Whitby, about 50 kilometres east of Toronto, police said on Thursday (2).
Ontario’s special investigations unit (SIU) said that two of the victims, a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman, were visiting from Chennai, India. The couple’s three-month-old grandson also died in the multi-vehicle collision, occured on last Monday.
The victims were identified on Friday in a post by the Indian consulate general.
‘Heartfelt condolences on tragic loss of Indian nationals Mr. Manivannan, Mrs. Mahalakshmi & their grandchild in the Highway 401 collision. CG met the bereaved family at the hospital & assured all possible assistance. We are in touch with Canadian authorities,’ the post on X said.
The parents of the infant, 33-year-old father and 27-year-old mother, were travelling in the same vehicle and were taken to hospital.
The 21-year-old robbery suspect was also killed in the collision, which involved at least six vehicles.
Officials have said the deadly car chase started with a liquor store robbery in Bowmanville
and ended around 20 minutes later after the suspect in a cargo van led Durham police on a high-speed chase against opposing traffic on Highway 401.
In a statement released on behalf of the family by the SIU on Sunday, the parents wrote that they lost ‘three of the most precious people’ in their lives.
‘The aftermath has left an indelible mark on our lives, with profound grief,’ Gokulnath Manivannan and Ashwitha Jawahar wrote.
‘We have no courage in us to even enter our home which is filled with our only son’s memories. We are at a complete loss of words to describe the agony and vacuum in our hearts knowing we can never hold our child Aditya Vivaan, who gave us so many precious memories in such a short time.’
The cremation of the grandparents took place on Monday (6) followed by the cremation of the three-month-old on Wednesday.