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3 B.C. residents dead in Alberta minivan crash They were our bright future, says a grieving community
Alberta emergency crews work feverishly at the crash site
near Brooks, Alta., where three people died. Four teens and a 12-year-old, all from Surrey, were also hurt but are expected to survive. The group was heading from Surrey to the Nagar Kirtan Festival in Edmonton, where they were to perform gatkha, a traditional Sikh martial art. The sister of two of the injured young people said the group had missed a turnoff, stopped for directions and were on their way back to the correct road when the accident occurred. Investigators are trying to determine if fatigue and speed were factors in the crash. Harpreet Sondh said her brother, Sundeep, was in the van and recalls it rolling eight to 10 times. He escaped the crash with just seven stitches on his knee. Chahal was behind the wheel when he apparently lost control of the vehicle and it rolled before coming to rest in a field on the north side of the highway. Chahal was the only occupant of the van wearing a seatbelt -- and the only one not thrown from the wreck. Singh, who was visiting Canada from India at Chahal's invitation, was pronounced dead at the scene. "It's certainly a very large tragedy," said Staff-Sgt. Ray Noble of the Brooks RCMP. "Family members, and all of their group in the temple I'm sure, will be impacted. The impact will spread well beyond the occupants in the vehicle and their immediate families." Chahal and Dhillon died yesterday morning in hospital. Passengers Sundeep Sondh, 15, and Teghbir Badwal, 17, were treated for minor injuries and released from hospital Friday. Mundeep Sondh, 12, and Gagandeep Sahota, 17, and Sukjinder Bains, 15, all remain in hospital and are being treated for extensive, non-life-threatening injuries. Sukhpreet Heir, secretary at the Gurudwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar temple in Surrey, described Chahal and Singh as important mentors and spiritual guides for youth. Chahal was the head of the Guru Nanak Academy and was dedicated to his faith and the prevention of violence among youth in his community, Heir said yesterday. He also preached at the temple every Sunday. "His way of preaching, his way of handling the programs was what was needed by youth," added temple volunteer Amarjeet Kaur. "It's such a great loss that we have suffered," Heir said. "We need more individuals such as him" Singh was visiting from the Punjab, where he was a prominent member of a Sikh institution and an expert in gatkha. Chahal met Singh on a visit to India 18 months ago, Heir said. Singh had been in Canada for about four months and worked with as many as 70 young people instructing them in gatkha. Dhillon and the other youth in the van were students of Singh and Chahal and have shown great potential in all areas, Heir said. "These are the kids we all hope for to carry a bright future for our community," he said. Funeral services at the temple are being planned for all three. Heir said Singh's body will be flown back to India following the service. Meantime, Sikhs from Vancouver to Toronto are coming together to help the families of the dead and injured however they can, including paying for the funerals and the transportation of Singh's body, Heir said. "The whole community feels this," said Iqbal Gill from the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society in Surrey. "I didn't even know them, but we all share the grief they are feeling." Harpreet Sondh, whose brothers Sundeep and Mundeep were injured in the rollover, said yesterday that her parents are at Mundeep's side. The Grade 7 student from Strawberry Hill suffered serious leg injuries and some damage to his spleen and lungs. Although he was unconscious yesterday, he is expected to recover. Sundeep is a Grade 9 student at Princess Margaret. Both are dedicated gatkha students who began practicing the martial art just four months ago. Harpreet, 16, said she planned to head for Calgary to see her brothers as soon as possible. "I'm planning to take a lot of balloons and roses
and flowers," she told The Sunday Province. "[My brothers are]
the most important thing in my life." |
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