2 Trainee Pilots From Mumbai Among 3 Deceased In Canada Plane Crash

A pall of gloom descended upon two families in Mumbai when they were told that their young sons were among the three people killed in a plane crash in Canada a day earlier on Saturday.

The two trainee pilots were in a small twin-engined light aircraft - a Piper PA-34 Seneca - which crashed near the local airport in Chilliwack, close to Vancouver, in British Columbia, the reports said.?

The plane crashed behind a motel near the airport, killing the pilot and everyone on board, Sgt. Pete Healey from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police was quoted as saying by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).

The pilots who have been killed are 25-year-old Abhay Gadru from Vasai and Yash Vijay Ramugade from Santacruz, the reports said.?

Gadru moved to Canada three years ago to complete pilot training and was expected to graduate in November, his cousin Sdradha Trisal was quoted as saying by the Vancouver Sun newspaper on Saturday.

“He was such a pure soul. I can’t believe he’s gone and I’m just left with memories now,” Trisal said.

"We got a call at 5 am on Saturday and could not believe that something like this had happened to Abhay. His brother, Chirag, has also been studying in Canada since last year. Authorities in Canada have not let Chirag see Abhay's body yet, and he has been told that he will be given Abhay's belongings on Sunday," the report quoted Goyal as having said.

An NDTV?report quoting a neighbour said he had spoken to Chirag over the phone.?

"He is very worried and is trying to get in touch with the consulate so that Abhay's body can be brought back home. Their parents are currently visiting some relatives in Delhi," he was quoted as having said.

“Goyal said Abhay was like a brother to him and all doors in the neighbourhood were always open for him. "I never thought of him as anything but a brother," he added,the report mentioned.?

According to PTI, Gadru’s sibling Chirag, who also lives in the British Columbia province, is trying to send back his brother’s remains to their parents in India.

Meanwhile, CTV News Vancouver, a Canadian news portal, said that the second person among the three killed was Yash Ramugude, who also hailed from Mumbai.

While details about Gadru were given, there was not much information about Ramugade in the Canadian media reports.

The registration number on the plane's tail indicates the aircraft, which appeared badly damaged, is a Piper PA-34 Seneca owned by SkyQuest Aviation, a flight school based in Langley. It was built in 1972.

“We’re looking into it but we’re not issuing any statements. There is nothing we can say at this time,” an employee, who works as an administrator at SkyQuest Aviation, said on condition of anonymity.?

The reports did not identify the pilot of the small plane.

It is still unknown what caused the twin-engined light aircraft to crash, the CBC report said.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it's sending investigators, it said.