ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Instead of celebrating their daughter’s wedding on Sunday, a prominent Indo-Canadian family is mourning the deaths of six family members and friends killed in a tragic accident in southwestern British Columbia.
More than 30 women and children were walking down the two-lane road late Friday when they were struck from behind by a 1981 Chevy pickup.
Three men and three women, ranging in age from 14 to the mid-50s, died at the scene and 17 others were injured. The youngest victims are a four-month old baby and a seventh-month old baby.
Most of the victims were related, Abbotsford Sgt. Amar Kingra said Saturday.
The group was participating in a traditional Indian wedding ritual called “Jaago” where mostly female members of the bride’s family walk together from the house of a close family friend to the bride’s residence.
Some of the group was walking on the road and others on the side, he said. They were singing and reportedly wearing ornamental lights on their heads when the pickup rammed into them, pushing some into a two-metre ditch and pinning them underneath.
The driver, a 71-year-old Indo-Canadian man, also lives in the area, neighbours said.
A car that was supposed to be tailing the large group with its flashers on as a safety precaution was turning to get into position when the crash happened, police said. The group had started walking before the car was in place, Kingra added.
Const. Casey Vinet described the scene as “chaos” when emergency crews arrived.
“I have been told by one of our senior officers with over 20 years experience that this is the most difficult scene that he has ever witnessed,” he said at a news conference today.
Vinet said the driver was questioned and released without charges. Investigators have ruled out alcohol and drugs and said speed also doesn’t look like a factor.
“The driver is shocked, very shocked,” Vinet said.
“It’s too early to tell if any charges will be laid at this stage. But I’ve been told the driver was suffering from symptoms of shock. He hit the crowd, drove into the crowd from behind. There were dry conditions at the time, given it was a rural area, it was also very dark — certainly that played a factor.”
Police have seized the pickup and will conduct a mechanical inspection.
Fourteen ambulances, two helicopters and numerous off-duty officers were called to the crash location near a blueberry farm.
There were around 200 to 300 people sitting underneath tents at the farm as part of the wedding celebration when the incident occurred. The farm has been owned by Avtar Mahal, the bride’s father for the past 25 years.
The bride, named Simran, and the groom, believed to be from the Gural family, were not part of the Jaago celebrations and were uninjured.
A local counsellor said the wedding which is still set to go on today, was planned for as many as 500 guests, but will now only have five members from each family attend.
Guests had flown in from California, Alberta and India, he said.
Some of the victims were in stable condition today at various hospitals. The two youngest victims were transferred to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
The seventh-month old is is still in serious condition.
Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national...129&k=52403
*EDITED*