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A boat capsized near Canmore on Sunday and claimed the lives of three of the four people on board
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July 13, 2022 • 1 day ago • 2 minutes reading • 5 comments (LR) Geo Paily, 32, Kevin Sha Varghese, 21, and Liyo Mavalil Yohannan, 41, died after a boat s sank in the Spray Lakes Reservoir near Canmore. The ship capsized on July 10, 2022. Facebook of the Malayalee Calgary Cultural Association
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A Calgary church is mourning the deaths of three of its parishioners after a boat sank near Canmore on Sunday, killing three of the four people on board.
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The men were on the boat at the Spray Lakes Reservoir, about 25 miles south of Canmore, when it capsized around 10 a.m. this Sunday, according to the RCMP. Geo Paily, 32, Kevin Sha Varghese, 21, and Liyo Mavalil Yohannan, 41, died in the incident, while a fourth man, Jijo Joseph, managed to swim to shore.
The RCMP confirmed on Wednesday morning that a third body, Yohannan’s, had been removed from the water on Tuesday afternoon, after Paily and Varghese’s bodies were located on Sunday and Monday, respectively.
The identities of the victims were confirmed by various cultural groups across Canada, including the Malayalee Cultural Association of Calgary, a community group for people from the Indian state of Kerala, and St. Teresa Teresa Syro Malabar Catholic Church.
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The four men were close friends who worked together at a local car shop and were on a fishing trip at the time of the incident, according to Holy Mother Teresa priest Father Thomas Kalariparambil. He said the group often went fishing on Paily’s boat in the Canmore area and that the four men were active members of the Malayalee church and community in Calgary.
“We were saddened to hear this news,” Kalariparambil said. “We were all surprised to learn of this incident; it is a very unexpected thing ”.
The priest said Varghese’s family emigrated to Canada a few years ago and that he grew up mainly in Canada along with his brother and sister. Varghese was going to college in Toronto, but returned home to Calgary to visit family during the summer.
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Paily arrived in Canada about three years ago, Kalariparambil said. He leaves behind a woman and a small child.
The cultural association and the church have organized a GoFundMe campaign to support Yohannan’s family. He leaves behind his wife, a young daughter and son, and his parents and sisters. The fundraiser describes Yohannan as the sole supporter of a family of 10 people.
“Liyo was the kindest, most helpful, thoughtful, supportive person we’ve ever met,” says the fundraising website. “He spent most of his time with his family and friends, encouraging them to live an active lifestyle. His smile and voice resonate everywhere he has set foot.”
Yohannan moved to Canada from Qatar in 2020, initially settling in Quebec before moving to Red Deer, where he worked as a health assistant. He then moved to Calgary, where he lived for the past two months.
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“The funds raised here only serve to alleviate the financial burdens of his funeral expenses, the expatriation of his family from Canada to India, the medical expenses of the elderly parents, the education of their children and the support of the his wife, ”the website says.
Joseph is recovering at home from the trauma of the fatal crash, Kalariparambil said.
“We can’t say perfectly well that he’s okay now, but he’s getting well,” he said.
Kalariparambil said the church is working to send Yohannan and Paily’s bodies to their families in India once the autopsies are complete. A funeral for Varghese is scheduled for Saturday.
mrodriguez@postmedia.com
Twitter: @michaelrdrguez
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