Regina man was aboard Air India flight that crashed after takeoff, friend says
REGINA - A Regina father is believed to have been killed on an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff last week.
Piyushkumar Patel was on board the London-bound flight that crashed in northwestern India last week, killing at least 270 people.
Jatin Patel says his friend's wife and daughters have left for India to provide DNA samples to match his remains.
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He says Piyushkumar Patel moved to Regina last year with his family after getting a job in the city.
Jatin Patel says the father of two travelled to India in May to visit his parents before taking a flight to London so he could see friends.
He says he's fundraising money to help the man's wife with expenses while she's away.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025.
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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Sign In or Create an Account Email Address Continue or View more offers Article content Sgt. Tammy Lobb told Postmedia that the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team still has investigators on the 1985 terrorism case, despite acquittals of two key suspects in 2005. Article content tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Air India investigation continues, 40 years after deadly terrorist bombing Back to video tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Play Video Article content 'The investigation is continuing, as we continue to investigate any emerging information,' Lobb said. 'Should any new information or different information that we have not received in 40 years emerge, we will investigate it to uncover the truth.' She said investigators believe they have identified all the suspects who were involved in planting the suitcase bombs on flights out of Vancouver airport on June 22, 1985. One bomb exploded at Japan's Narita Airport as two baggage handlers were transferring the Vancouver suitcase to an Air India flight. Both workers were killed. Canucks Report Essential reading for hockey fans who eat, sleep, Canucks, repeat. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Canucks Report will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Article content Advertisement 3 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Less than an hour later, a second B.C. bomb blew apart Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 aboard. Most of the victims were Canadians of Indian origin. Two B.C. men connected to the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group were charged in 2000, but acquitted by a B.C. Supreme Court judge in 2005. A third suspect, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was first convicted of manslaughter in the Narita bombing, then pleaded guilty to a second manslaughter count in the Air India blast. Special 40th anniversary memorial events are planned for June 23 across Canada and in Ireland, near the spot where the flight went down. Lobb wouldn't comment on whether any new information has been uncovered in recent years. 'I'm sure you can appreciate there are details the investigation that I can't discuss in order to protect the integrity of it, but I can tell you that throughout the investigation, suspects have been identified, and some of them, as you know, were charged and tried,' she said. Advertisement 4 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 'Although there are elements of the investigation that are unresolved, we remain confident we've identified the people who were behind this act of terrorism.' Criminologist Yvon Dandurand, professor emeritus at the University of the Fraser Valley, said Tuesday that it would be challenging for police to gather strong-enough evidence to get new charges approved so long after the crime. 'As you move through the years, it gets harder and harder, first to find the evidence, and second, to get enough of it to justify charges,' he said. 'And then getting a conviction 40 years later, you would have to have an incredibly powerful kind of new evidence to do this.' He said the best chance of new evidence might come with new informants that have knowledge of the terrorism plot, though even that is unlikely after 40 years. Advertisement 5 Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content 'What other informants would there be who would have enough evidence other than their own word that other people were involved?' he said. 'The RCMP is not going to say 'forget about the whole thing. It's too late,' but I doubt very much that anyone there believes that there's a significant chance.' Babbar Khalsa founder Talwinder Singh Parmar — a former Burnaby resident who was killed by police in India in 1992 — was identified as the mastermind of the Air India plot by both the B.C. Supreme Court trial judge and by the head of the Air India Commission of Inquiry that ended in 2010. Other suspects were identified at the trial of the acquitted suspects, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, including a mysterious man dubbed Mr. X who helped with a test bomb 19 days before the bombings. Lobb wouldn't comment on whether investigators had identified Mr. X. 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