Regina man was aboard Air India flight that crashed after takeoff, friend says

A Regina father is believed to have been killed on an Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff last week, a family friend says.

Piyushkumar Patel was on board the London-bound flight that crashed in northwestern India on June 12, killing at least 270 people.

Prime Minister Mark Carney has previously confirmed that one Canadian, identified by family as Mississauga, Ont., dentist Dr. Nirali Sureshkumar Patel, was on the plane.

Family friend Jatin Patel said Piyushkumar Patel was a permanent resident.

"This is really something that happened in (the) blink of an eye," he told The Canadian Press on Tuesday.

He said Piyushkumar Patel's wife and daughters have left for India to provide DNA samples to match his remains.

Piyushkumar Patel moved to Regina last year with his family after getting a job in the city, he said.

Jatin Patel said the father of two travelled to India in May to visit his parents before taking a flight to London so he could see friends.

He's fundraising money online to help the man's wife with expenses while she's away.

"She travelled there in an emergency and I know the expenses she incurred. This is going to be a little bit of a help," he said.

Picture Courtesy: AP Photo/Ajit Solanki