Skip to content

Update: Two men who died in Ontario plane crash from Richmond

A man wanted for murder in Thailand was on a plane piloted by a Richmondite.
OntarioScreenshot2
Kukukus Lake (red pin) is about 300 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont.

Not only was the pilot of a plane that crashed in Ontario from Richmond, so was one of the passengers.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have now released the name of the fourth victim, 27-year-old Hankun Hong who is from Richmond, after identifying the other three on Tuesday.

Richmond resident Abhinav Handa was the pilot of the plane that crashed near Sioux Lookout in the Kukukus Lake area, about 300 kilometres northwest of Thunder Bay, Ont.

Also on the plane was a 36-year-old Gene Lahrkamp, who was wanted by the police in Thailand in connection with the Feb. 4 murder of Jimi Sandhu. The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) identified him as being from Kincardine, Ont.

Handa was piloting a privately owned plane when it went down between Ignace and Sioux Lookout.

A search by Joint Rescue Coordination Centre-Trenton, Civil Air Search and Rescue Association and the Ministry of Natural Resources was commenced after the plane was reported overdue.

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) investigation began around 7:45 a.m. Saturday after the wreckage was located.

Also on the plane was Duncan Bailey, 37, of Kamloops.

The Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.

- with files from Canadian Press and Castanet