Three international students killed in a highway crash in Toronto last week have been identified by the Consulate General of Bangladesh.
Police have said a car travelling at extremely high speeds on Highway 427 flew over a concrete ramp, landed in a ditch and then hit another concrete wall before it burst into flames late Monday night.
Ontario Provincial Police have said four international students from Bangladesh, who were living in Toronto, were pulled from the car.
A 20-year-old man and 17-year-old boy who were sitting in the back seats were pronounced dead on the highway and a 20-year-old woman sitting in the front passenger seat died after being taken to hospital, police said.
The three students who died were Arian Alam Dipto, Shahriar Mahir Khan and Angela Shreya Baroi, said Consul General Lutfor Rahman.
Rahman said the 21-year-old driver, Nibir Kumar, is the son of popular Bangladeshi singer Kumar Bishwajit and remains in a Toronto hospital in critical condition.
“The Consulate General expressed sincere condolences to the bereaved family members of the deceased and pray for their eternal peace and for quick recovery of the injured one,” Rahman wrote in a statement.
Rizwan Ibn Ahmed, who identified himself as a friend of Dipto, said he loved food, video games and hanging out with his close friends and family. Dipto had “a very friendly personality, cheering and joyful,” and dreamed of studying outside Bangladesh, he said.
Ayeman Rashid, who identified himself on Facebook as a close friend of Khan, said he was “a very humble guy with manners for everyone.”
Khan’s family previously told CBC Toronto he moved to Toronto from Bangladesh last month. The 17-year-old was a George Brown College Student.
A service for Dipto and Khan is set to be held Monday in the city’s east end.
Baroi remembered as a ‘selfless’ and ‘vibrant’ person
Baroi’s family is holding a viewing for her in Toronto Sunday evening. A second-year business student at York University, her aunt Mila Dhaki told CBC Toronto last week that Baroi came to Canada in 2020.
Her goal was to be an accountant to take over her family’s garment business back home in Bangladesh.
She was in the front passenger seat and was pulled from the burning wreck alive before she died in hospital.
Dozens of people attended Angela Shreya Baroi’s viewing in Toronto Sunday evening. She was one of three international students from Bangladesh killed in a highway crash in Toronto last week. (Martin Trainor/CBC)
At her viewing, Nick Sarkar said his dad introduced him to Baroi after she came to Toronto. He recalled showing her around the city, remembering her as a “selfless” person who was “very loving” to her parents especially.
He said he feels sad, confused and still in disbelief over her death, adding it isn’t easy grieving someone who died so young.
“If you always had a problem, she would always be there to help you out. She never asked for anything in return,” he said.
Shaolin Ahmed, 19, grew up with Baroi in Bangladesh. They reconnected in Canada as young adults pursuing higher education in the country.
“It’s my regret that I only met her once after I came,” said Ahmed.
Ahmed recalls her favourite memory of her in grade school. During a school dance, Baroi dragged her out of her chair and to the dance floor. She was always trying to include everyone, Ahmed said.
“She was just someone that was very vibrant. She was someone you couldn’t miss because when she was in the room, she would like to fill the room with her presence.”
The victims’ families are working to have their bodies repatriated to Bangladesh after the memorial services, Rahman said in an interview.
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EDMONTON – RCMP say a second suspect has been arrested in the killing of an Alberta county worker.
Mounties say 28-year-old Elijah Strawberry was taken into custody Friday at a house on O’Chiese First Nation.
Colin Hough, a worker with Rocky View County, was shot and killed while on the job on a rural road east of Calgary on Aug. 6.
Another man who worked for Fortis Alberta was shot and wounded, and RCMP said the suspects fled in a Rocky View County work truck.
Police later arrested Arthur Wayne Penner, 35, and charged him with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and a warrant was issued for Strawberry’s arrest.
RCMP also said there was a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of Strawberry, describing him as armed and dangerous.
Chief Supt. Roberta McKale, told a news conference in Edmonton that officers had received tips and information over the last few weeks.
“I don’t know of many members that when were stopped, fuelling up our vehicles, we weren’t keeping an eye out, looking for him,” she said.
But officers had been investigating other cases when they found Strawberry.
“Our investigators were in O’Chiese First Nation at a residence on another matter and the major crimes unit was there working another file and ended up locating him hiding in the residence,” McKale said.
While an investigation is still underway, RCMP say they’re confident both suspects in the case are in police custody.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
RICHMOND, B.C. – The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team says the 26-year-old son of a man found dead on British Columbia’s Sunshine Coast has been charged with his murder.
Police say 58-year-old Henry Doyle was found badly injured on a forest service road in Egmont last September and died of his injuries.
The homicide team took over when the BC Coroners Service said the man’s death was suspicious.
It says in a statement that the BC Prosecution Service has approved one count of first-degree murder against the man’s son, Jackson Doyle.
Police say the accused will remain in custody until at least his next court appearance.
The homicide team says investigators remained committed to solving the case with the help of the community of Egmont, the RCMP on the Sunshine Coast and in Richmond, and the Vancouver Police Department.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
VANCOUVER – Mediated talks between the union representing HandyDART workers in Metro Vancouver and its employer, Transdev, have broken off without an agreement following 15 hours of talks.
Joe McCann, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1724, says they stayed at the bargaining table with help from a mediator until 2 a.m. Friday and made “some progress.”
However, he says the union negotiators didn’t get an offer that they could recommend to the membership.
McCann says that in some ways they are close to an agreement, but in other areas they are “miles apart.”
About 600 employees of the door-to-door transit service for people who can’t navigate the conventional transit system have been on strike since last week, pausing service for all but essential medical trips.
McCann asks HandyDART users to be “patient,” since they are trying to get not only a fair contract for workers but also a better service for customers.
He says it’s unclear when the talks will resume, but he hopes next week at the latest.
The employer, Transdev, didn’t reply to an interview request before publication.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
