A photograph from a family album shows Sreehari Sukesh, a student pilot who was killed on Tuesday in a mid-air collision in Canada’s Manitoba province. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
The mortal remains of Sreehari Sukesh, 23, a trainee pilot from Thripunithura in Kochi who was killed in Canada during a flying session, were flown to Kochi on Saturday (July 26, 2025) morning.
The Air India flight, AI 833, carrying the body arrived at the Kochi airport at around 8.10 a.m. Relatives of the deceased received the body. Hibi Eden, MP, intervened to ensure that that the body was released at the earliest after completing the formalities.
The body was taken to a hospital, from where it would be taken to the flat at Thripunithura, where the victim’s parents and sister are residing. “The body will be kept at the flat for people to pay their last respects till around 4 p.m. The funeral will be held at the Thripunithura public crematorium no later than 5 p.m.,” said Deepesh Chandran, a relative of the deceased.
The youngster was killed after his flight collided with another during a practice flying session in Manitoba province, Canada, on July 8. May Royes, 20, from Canada, was the other victim. Since then, the autopsy has been completed, and the body was moved to a funeral home.
The Consulate General of India in Toronto received relevant documents from the funeral home on July 22. The Consulate completed the formalities and issued the relevant documents, including the no objection certificate, to repatriate the body. The body was initially flown to Delhi from Toronto by Air India flight, AI188, on July 25.
The victim is survived by father K. Sukesh, manager at the Angamaly branch of the Central Bank of India, mother Deepa Chandran, an IT professional with UST Global in Infopark, and a younger sister. The family has been going through an agonising time waiting for his mortal remains.
Sreehari left for Canada one and a half years ago and used to communicate with his family back home through video calls . His last call came the day before his death. Sreehari had last visited home in November 2024 and left in the first week of February 2025. He was on the verge of completing the mandatory flying hours to qualify as a commercial pilot, a dream which he had cherished all along.
Published – July 26, 2025 11:50 am IST