Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Gujarati family from Canada among those killed in Ethiopia crash

FAMILIES have spoken of their grief after it emerged that three generations of a Gujarati family from Canada were among those killed when the Ethiopian Airlines aircraft crashed last Sunday (10).

Six members of the Vaidya family who were on the "trip of a lifetime" to a safari park in Kenya were passengers on board the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane which crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa. The new Boeing 737 MAX 8 jet went down, killing all 157 people on board.


Pannagesh Vaidya, 73; his wife Hansini Vaidya, 67; their daughter Kosha Vaidya, 37; her husband Prerit Dixit, 45; and their two children Anushka and Ashka died, Patrick Brown, mayor of Canadian city Brampton (outside Toronto, where the family lived) was quoted as saying by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

While the Surat, Gujarat-based Vaidya couple were Indian nationals, their daughter, husband and two children were Canadians of Indian-origin.

The family lived in Canada and were on their way to a safari vacation, for "the trip of a lifetime" in Kenya.

"This is an unbelievably tragic situation for this family," Brown said in a statement.

"As more details become known, I will provide a further update on how Brampton residents can assist this family. Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this time of sorrow and reflection."

The flags at city hall would remain at half-mast until further notice in honour of the family, Brown said in a message on Twitter.

"It's a huge tragedy," Manant Vaidya, son of Pannagesh, said.

"I lost my parents, I lost my sister. I don't have anyone else now."

Manant said his sister, who became a Canadian permanent resident in 2003, wanted to take her children to Kenya to visit her birthplace.

Kosha, who was originally born in Kenya but lived in Canada, worked for the Canadian Hearing Society as a HR advisor.

“I sincerely hope this is the last accident to happen and nobody suffers as we do,” Manant said.

“It’s a huge tragedy. She is the only sister I got. I lost my parents, I lost my sister, I don’t have anybody else.

“They thought March break was the perfect time for them to go over there, have fun," Manant said. "It was going to be a really great trip for everybody."

"I asked my dad why he wanted to go and he told me that in his life he wants to go one more time."

The Peel District School Board, which the young girls attended, also paid tribute to their students Ashka and Anushka Dixit.

"Tomorrow, the flags at @ChinguacousySS & @CentennialSrPS will be lowered to half-mast to remember and honour Anushka Dixit, Ashka Dixit, their parents and grandparents who lost their lives over the weekend," the school board tweeted.

Four Indian nationals were among the passengers on the aircraft.

Shikha Garg, a newly-wed from New Delhi, 32, had apparently called her father moments before the flight took off. Her husband, Soumya Bhattacharya, also confirmed he had received a text from his wife before the plane had taken flight.

“I have boarded the flight and will call you once I land,” Garg had apparently texted.

Her father told an Indian news outlet that his daughter was a brilliant student.

According to reports, Garg was a consultant with the Indian ministry of environment and forests. She was said to be travelling to attend a United Nations Environment Programme meeting in Nairobi.

India’s foreign minister Sushma Swaraj, in a tweet last Sunday, said she was sorry to hear about the crash and confirmed the number of Indian nationals who had died.

“I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Ethiopia to provide all help and assistance to the bereaved families,” she said.

Following the crash, India’s aviation watchdog ordered a safety review for future flights using the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

The directions call the pilot-in-command to have at least 1,000 hours of flying experience and the co-pilot to have 500 hours on Boeing 737 NG type aircraft.

Indian private airlines Spicejet and Jet Airways have Max 8 aircraft, although the latter told an Indian news agency that it was not currently operating any of the five planes in its fleet.

The cause of the disaster is unclear.

"At this stage, we can't rule out anything," CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde

Gebremariam, said. "We can't also attribute the cause to anything because we'll have to comply with the international regulation to wait for the investigation."

More For You

Air India flight crash

Debris of Air India flight 171 is pictured after it crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025.

Getty Images

Leicester to observe silence for Air India crash victims during Rathayatra festival

A MINUTE of silence will be observed in Leicester on Sunday, June 22, to remember those who died in the recent Air India crash. The silence will take place during the inauguration of the annual Rathayatra festival of chariots in the city centre.

Organisers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness confirmed the silence will be held at 11.20am, followed by traditional Hindu performances from Gujarat at Gallowtree Gate, outside Sports Direct.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk-energy-bill-iStock

The discount is funded and distributed by energy companies across England, Scotland and Wales, but the government decides who qualifies. (Representational image: iStock)

iStock)

Millions more to get £150 off energy bills under new Warm Home Discount rules

MILLIONS of households in Britain will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter after the government changed the eligibility rules for the Warm Home Discount.

People on means-tested benefits will now automatically qualify for the discount, regardless of their property's size or energy score. This change is expected to extend support to 2.7 million additional households, including nearly a million with children.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sisters drown in Snowdonia pools during trip with friends

Haleema Zahid

Sisters drown in Snowdonia pools during trip with friends

TWO sisters studying at the University of Chester have drowned in mountain pools while visiting Snowdonia with university friends, an inquest has heard.

Hajra Zahid, 29, and Haleema Zahid, 25, were pulled from the water at the Watkin Pools at Eryri in the Nant Gwynant area of Gwynedd on June 11.

Keep ReadingShow less
Iran-Israel-clash-Reuters

Smoke rises following an Israeli attack in Tehran on June 18, 2025.

Reuters

Israel hits nuclear reactors in Iran; hospital struck in retaliation

ISRAEL launched airstrikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Thursday, while Iranian missiles damaged an Israeli hospital, escalating the ongoing conflict between the two countries.

Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue its campaign until Iran's nuclear programme is destroyed. “The tyrants of Tehran will pay the full price,” he said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump said he was honoured to meet Munir and that they discussed Iran, noting that Pakistan had deep knowledge of the country.

Getty Images

Trump hosts Asim Munir, again claims role in ending India-Pakistan conflict

PRESIDENT Donald Trump hosted Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House on Wednesday, a rare meeting that appeared to deepen disagreement with India over Trump’s recent remarks about mediating the India-Pakistan conflict.

This was the first time a US president hosted Pakistan’s army chief at the White House without senior Pakistani civilian officials. Munir is widely regarded as the most influential figure in Pakistan.

Keep ReadingShow less