Surrey: It was a regular Sunday morning on June 23, 1985 when an Air India Flight 182, who was also known by the name “Emperor Kanishka” took off from Montreal in Canada only to never reached its destination to Mumbai. Boeing 747 aircraft flying on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Mumbai route had 329 on board when it exploded mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean in Irish airspace at an altitude of 31,000 feet turning the ocean into a watery grave. The blast killed all on board — 268 Canadian citizens (many of them of Indian origin), 27 Britons and 24 Indians. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 is considered the deadliest aviation incident in the history until the September 11 attacks in 2001.Also Read - Canada Telecom Execs Summoned After Wide Service Outage
The attack was carried out by Sikh militants based in Canada, mostly Babbar Khalsa International organization members, a sectarian group calling for a Sikh sovereign state of Khalistan. Also Read - Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky Sacks Ambassadors to India, Other Nations, Reasons Not Given: Report
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 coincided with the Narita Airport bombing. Investigators found the two plots were linked and eventually concluded that those responsible were aiming for a double aircraft bombing. However, the bomb at Narita exploded, killing two baggage handlers before it was loaded onto the plane due to the perpetrators failing to take into account that Japan does not observe daylight saving time. Also Read - Kapil Sharma's New York Show Postponed, Here's Why!
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest EXPLAINERS News on India.com.
Published Date: July 15, 2022 2:46 PM IST
Updated Date: July 15, 2022 3:38 PM IST
Copyright © 2022. India Dot Com Private Limited. All Rights Reserved.