Thiruvananthapuram, Friday 10 July 2009: The parents of a 23-year-old pilot-trainee hailing from Sasthamangalam in Thiruvananthapuram who was drowned in a lake in Canada on Friday, are struggling to come to terms with the loss of their only child.

According to reports received by the family here, J. Ramkumar, a pilot-trainee at the Canadian Flight Academy in Oshawa, near Toronto, in Canada had gone to a lake for a weekend outing with friends.
“They were playing in the water when Ramkumar slipped and fell into a deep pit.

“His friends alerted a life guard who jumped into the water and rescued him. He was administered first aid and rushed to a nearby hospital where he breathed his last,” said Josekumar, the father of the deceased.

“We first received the news from the school president of the Canadian Flight Academy,” said Dr. Josekumar, a private medical practitioner and his wife, Syamala.

The mortal remains of Ramkumar were later transferred to the Indian Embassy in Canada after due formalities.

The embassy had arranged for the body to be transported by a Jet Airways flight from Toronto to Thiruvananthapuram, via New Delhi.
It is expected to reach here at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

After completing his Plus Two from the St.Thoma’s School here, Ramkumar enrolled for a commercial pilot licence course in Bangalore. In 2007, he migrated to Canada.