Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh
Credit: X/@KVSinghMPGonda
New Delhi: A total of 1,203 Indian citizens have died in Canada over the five-year period from 2020-2024, and most of the deaths were a result of natural causes like old age or medical illness, the government informed Parliament on Thursday.
Also, during the period, the mortal remains or ashes of 757 Indians have been successfully brought back from Canada to India with the MEA's assistance, Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked the number of Indian citizens who have died in Canada over the last five years and the causes of these deaths as per official records.
"As per the information available with the Ministry, a total of 1,203 Indian citizens died in Canada over the five-year period from 2020 to 2024. Most of the deaths were a result of natural causes like old age or medical illness. There were also unnatural deaths due to accidents, violence, suicide, murders, etc.," the minister said.
In his response, Singh also shared year-wise data on the number of such deaths -- 120 deaths in 2020; 160 (2021); 198 (2022); 336 (2023) and 389 (2024).
He said the government of India attaches high priority to addressing and resolving the issues pertaining to transportation of mortal remains of Indian nationals.
The MEA has a well-established mechanism or SOPs to coordinate with all Missions or Posts abroad to assist Indian nationals in distress including in cases of deaths, local cremation or burial or transportation of mortal remains to their hometowns in India and settlement of insurance or compensation claims, Singh said.