Two Brampton Children Dead in Ethiopian Airlines Crash

Published March 11, 2019 at 7:28 pm

The Peel District School Board (PDSB) has confirmed that two Brampton students, along with their parents, were killed in the tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash that occurred on Sunday, March 10.

The Peel District School Board (PDSB) has confirmed that two Brampton students, along with their parents, were killed in the tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash that occurred on Sunday, March 10.

Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on March 11, the PDSB took to Twitter to announce that two Peel students and their parents were among the 149 passengers and eight crew members who perished in the flight that crashed shortly after it took off from Addis Ababa at 8:38 a.m. (local time in Ethiopia).

The students have been identified as Ashka and Anushka Dixit.

Ashka Dixit was a student at Chinguacousy Secondary School and Anushka Dixit was a student at Centennial Sr. Public School. The two victims were sisters.

“It is with great sadness that I write this letter to inform you of the death of one of our students, Ashka Dixit,”  ​Sao-Kham Mork-Gerra, principal, Chinguacousy Secondary School, wrote in a letter to students and their families.

Mork-Gerra said that police confirmed that Ashka, along with her parents, sister (Anushka) and grandparents, were passengers on the ill-fated plane.

“This tragedy has brought great sadness to the students and staff at Chinguacousy Secondary School. Even students who did not personally know Ashka may be affected by this loss. It’s important to remember that death can affect students in a variety of ways. Students who have experienced a recent trauma or death in the family may particularly need additional support,” Mork-Gerra wrote.

Wayne Lee, the principal at Centennial Sr. Public School, also penned a letter to students and their families.

“It is with great sadness that I write this letter to inform you of the death of one of our students, Anushka Dixit. Police have informed us that Anushka, along with her parents, sister and grandparents, were passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines flight that was involved in a fatal crash over the weekend. You and/or your child may have heard about this tragic incident in the media.”

The plane crashed on route to Nairobi, Kenya.

Multiple media reports indicate the flight was the second Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane to crash in six months.

Eighteen Canadians were among the 157 passengers killed in the crash.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

Cover photo courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines’ official Facebook page

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