Indian national killed in plane crash in Canada
Ottawa, Jul 29 (PTI): An Indian national has died in a small plane crash near Deer Lake in eastern Canada, the Consulate General of India in Toronto said on Tuesday.
The plane crashed shortly after take-off near the Deer Lake Regional Airport on Saturday evening, according to CBC news.
"With deep sorrow, we mourn the tragic passing of Mr. Gautam Santhosh, an Indian national, who lost his life in an accident involving a commercial survey aircraft near Deer Lake, Newfoundland," the Consulate said on social media.
It said it is in close contact with the bereaved family and local authorities in Canada to provide all necessary assistance and support. "We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family during this difficult time," it added.
The Transportation Safety Board said a Piper PA-31 Navajo aircraft registered to Kisik Aerial Survey Inc. crashed about a kilometre south of Deer Lake Airport after taking off on a local flight on July 26.
According to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the crash prompted the immediate closure of the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) near the Deer Lake Airport for several hours to allow emergency personnel to respond to the scene.
"Two persons were on board the flight: the pilot, a 54-year-old man, and his lone passenger, a 27-year-old man. Both occupants were pronounced deceased at the scene," it said in a statement.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, it added.
“We are devastated and heartbroken by this loss," Kisik Aerial Survey Inc. owner Andrew Naysmith said in a statement.
"Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the families of the deceased and their loved ones," Naysmith said. "We will not be releasing the names of anyone involved with this incident, that information will be provided by the proper authorities."
"The cause of the accident is under investigation by the Transport Safety Board of Canada and Kisik will support that investigation in any and every way possible,” Naysmith added.
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NATO, others turn down US call for help in Hormuz: Trump
Washington (PTI): President Donald Trump on Tuesday said NATO and most of US' other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz as the war with Iran entered the third week.
In a social media post, Trump asserted that Iran’s military has been “decimated” and he no longer felt the need for assistance from NATO countries or anyone else.
Last week, Trump had sought help from European nations and others who depend on oil supplies transiting from the Hormuz Strait to safeguard the critical waterway.
“The United States has been informed by most of our NATO “Allies” that they don’t want to get involved with our Military Operation against the Terrorist Regime of Iran, in the Middle East, this, despite the fact that almost every Country strongly agreed with what we are doing, and that Iran cannot, in any way, shape, or form, be allowed to have a Nuclear Weapon,” the US President said in a post on Truth Social.
Iran's attacks on Gulf nations and its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil is transported, have sparked increasing concerns of a global energy crisis and are unnerving the world economy.
“I am not surprised by their action, however, because I always considered NATO, where we spend Hundreds of Billions of Dollars per year protecting these same Countries, to be a one-way street — We will protect them, but they will do nothing for us, in particular, in a time of need,” Trump said.
He said Australia, Japan and South Korea too have turned down his call for help.
“Fortunately, we have decimated Iran’s Military – Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their Anti-Aircraft and Radar is gone and perhaps, most importantly, their Leaders, at virtually every level, are gone, never to threaten us, our Middle Eastern Allies, or the World, again,” Trump said.
He said that given the scale of recent military successes, the US no longer "need" or desires assistance from NATO countries, adding that it never relied on such support in the first place.
Speaking as President of the United States, the "most powerful" country in the world, "we do not need" help from anyone, Trump said.
The West Asia conflict began on February 28 when the US-Israeli combine conducted airstrikes on Iran.
The Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has effectively been shut following the US and Israel attack on Iran and Tehran's sweeping retaliation.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had said that from Tehran's "perspective", the strait is "open". "It is only closed to Iran's enemies, to those who carried out unjust aggression against our country and to their allies.”
Earlier in the day, a second Indian-flagged LPG tanker, Nanda Devi, reached the country after safely sailing from the war-hit Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the first ship, Shivalik, reached Mundra port in Gujarat.
As of now, 22 Indian vessels remain on the west side and two on the east side of the strait.
Indian authorities are in constant touch with all the relevant stakeholders in the region to secure the safe passage of the remaining ships, officials said.
