Prayer service tonight for Ontario van crash victims
Written by on February 11th, 2012 in Latest News.
The victims, survivors and first responders who were involved in the collision that killed 11 people in Hampstead, Ont., earlier this week will be shown support in a prayer service on Friday evening.
A non-denominational service, organized by the diocese of London, was to start at 7 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in nearby Stratford.
Ten migrant workers from Peru were killed and three were seriously injured when their 15-passenger van and a truck collided in a rural area near Stratford. The truck’s driver, a Canadian, was also killed.
The altar at the church is adorned with the names of the victims and survivors, CBC’s Steven D’Souza reported from the scene.
A collection will also be taken at the church, with proceeds going to the families of the victims.
“We want to offer support to the people who felt this loss so deeply,” Bishop Ronald Fabbro said.
Any donations will add to what has already been an outpouring of generosity, with the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada, along with the Agriculture Workers Alliance, raising $30,000 so far.
Also, a government agency will cover travel costs for one family member of each of the 13 migrant workers involved in the crash.
The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board said it was looking at each individual case to determine whether the children of the victims can also be flown to the province. The board declined a full interview, saying it wanted the focus to be on the families. It will pay for one family member of each Peruvian victim or survivor to glide to Ontario.
The WSIB had already said it would pay for the repatriation of the bodies, medical costs of the survivors and an undisclosed amount for lost wages and benefits.
WSIB spokeswoman Maura Murphy said she didn’t know what the final cost would be.
With files from The Canadian Press
