The three men and one woman who died Tuesday in the second vehicle involved in the fatal collision near Jasper have been identified as Banff restaurant workers by a CBC News source.
Anand Singh Panwar, Pavan Kathiat, Ganesh Anala and Gelek Wangmo were killed in the collision on Highway 93 near Sunwapta Falls, according to a friend and a GoFundMe campaign created to raise money for funeral costs.
Deepak Bhatt, who was close friends with Panwar and knew Kathiat as an acquaintance, confirmed the identities of those involved in the crash.
Bhatt said the four had left the Banff area and were driving to Jasper in Panwar’s 2018 Hyundai Kona SUV.
“I cannot believe he is no more,” he said of his friend, “because I just phoned him on Sunday night. My heart and my mind hasn’t accepted it, this thing has happened to Anand.”
Panwar and Kathiat were roommates in Banff and both worked at the local Masala Authentic Indian Cuisine restaurant, Bhatt said. Panwar was a chef there.
His friend said Panwar’s wife was in hospital, due to have their second child any day. She lives in India with their six-year-old son.
He said Panwar moved to Canada four years ago to make a living so he could support his family.
“He is a very nice person, very helpful person for anyone who needed help,” he said.
Kathiat was engaged and was set to be married in November. His fiance also lives in India, according to Bhatt.
Wangmo worked part-time at the restaurant with the two men. Anala also worked in the Banff hospitality industry, but at the Indian Curry House restaurant.
The multi-vehicle collision happened early Tuesday evening on Highway 93 south of Jasper, Alta., RCMP said.
The two occupants in the other vehicle involved in the collision who died have also been identified. Angela Dye Elkins of Benton, La., and her son-in-law, Nick Copeland, who lived in Texas, also died in Tuesday’s crash.
Two other victims identified
The other two people in the van, Curtis Elkins and his daughter, Sarah Copeland, were taken to hospital in serious condition. The fifth passenger, a toddler, was taken to hospital in Jasper, where an assessment found the child wasn’t injured.
After the crash both vehicles caught fire. A third vehicle went off the road when its driver tried to avoid the crash. The two occupants of the third vehicle suffered minor injuries.
There have been no further updates from RCMP as of Thursday afternoon.