Toronto – Canada Van Victims Include People From Jordan, South Korea

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    A work crew in protective clothing cleans a sidewalk a day after a van struck multiple people along a major intersection in north Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 24, 2018.   REUTERS/Carlo AllegriToronto – A woman who worked at an investment management firm and enjoyed sports and volunteering was among the 10 people killed when a van plowed down a Toronto sidewalk.

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    Other victims included people from Jordan and South Korea, as well as a local college student. Names of most of the victims weren’t immediately released.

    Toronto City Councilor Cesar Palacio identified one of the victims as Anne Marie D’Amico, who worked at Invesco, which is near the scene of Monday’s incident. Palacio said D’Amico, 30, was a friend of his daughter, and he remembers her as “a brilliant young girl” who was interested in improving society.

    D’Amico volunteered at a Canada-based international humanitarian charity called Live Different. She helped build houses in the Dominican Republic in 2015 and 2017, according to Dave Hamilton, the charity’s manager of school partnerships. He remembered her as “super-positive, always smiling, a funny person, always up for a challenge, and really wanted to help people out.”

    D’Amico also volunteered with the nonprofit Tennis Canada association, working at the Rogers Cup tournament since the age of 12. She started out as a ball girl and worked her way up to be an “integral” part of the volunteer team, most recently leading a committee on stadium control, the association said. She was voted volunteer of the year in 2016.

    “Anne Marie lived for working at Rogers Cup and seeing her fellow volunteers each summer,” said Gavin Ziv, the association’s vice president of professional events. “The tournament was such a large part of her life, and we were so lucky to have her on our team each summer.”

    Palacio said he spoke with D’Amico’s parents, who live in his ward. “You can imagine the nightmare, the living nightmare they’re going through at this moment,” he said.

    Others killed included Munair Najjar, a citizen of Jordan who was in Toronto visiting family, according to state-run news agency Petra. Jordan’s embassy in Ottawa is in contact with Najjar’s family, the agency said. No other information about Najjar was released.

    Seneca College said one of its female students was killed, but declined to identify her, citing privacy reasons. President David Agnew confirmed the death in an email to students and staff in which he said two other students suffered minor injuries that did not require hospitalization.

    “Along with the rest of the city, and world, we were stunned by yesterday’s news,” Agnew said.

    Two South Koreans were among the dead, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing government officials. A third South Korean national was injured. None of their names were released. The Korean consulate general office in Toronto declined to confirm the report.

    Investigators had not yet officially identified any of those who died as of Tuesday afternoon, said Dirk Huyer, Ontario’s chief coroner.

    “We’re always balancing the need to know and the desire to know quickly to ensure that we have 100 percent accuracy,” he said. “That takes time, and that time can be very frustrating.”

    Toronto resident Konstantin Goulich created an impromptu memorial to the victims by taping four large sheets of poster board to a wall near the scene so people could leave messages of condolences and hope. By Tuesday afternoon, dozens of sheets were filled with notes in various languages. Floral bouquets covered the wall’s top ledge and had begun covering the ground below.

    “People have been traumatized by this. This is a time when we need to come together and I think people sense it,” said Goulich, a 37-year-old dental hygienist.

    About half a block away, flower shop owner Katherine Liu gave away hundreds of fresh flowers to anyone walking by.

    “We’d just like to help a little,” she said.


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    5 years ago

    Trump with his responsible harsh rehtoirc has showed he has teeth. It worked with N Korea despite your gloomy predictions. Trump dd get little fat rocekt man to he table