Montrealer who died in Haiti plane crash lost son in Christmas Ferris wheel accident

Police guard the crash site of a small plane in the community of Carrefour, Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. Authorities report that the plane was headed to the southern coastal city of Jacmel when it tried to land in Carrefour, and that at least 5 people died in the accident. (AP Photo/Odelyn Joseph)

A Montrealer is among the five victims of a deadly plane crash that occurred on Wednesday in Haiti, according to Quebec Liberal (PLQ) MNA Paule Robitaille.

"Terrible. Tonight, I learned of the death of Gamaniel Valcin in a plane crash in Haiti," wrote Robitaille, MNA for Bourassa-Sauvé, on Twitter. "He was the father of Riley, who died on Christmas Day at the Montreal Ferris Wheel. Last week, I was presenting a medal posthumously to the family."

She posted the Twitter message just after news spread that a small plane had crashed in the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince, which left at least five people dead and several others injured, according to local authorities.

The plane was headed to the southern coastal city of Jacmel when it attempted a manoeuvre to land in the community of Carrefour, hitting a truck carrying soda bottles, explained Pierre Belamy Samedi, a police commissioner in the area.

He told the Associated Press that the truck driver was also among the victims.

Samedi says the pilot was taken to hospital, but his condition remains unknown.

A total of five people were on board the plane, according to the police commissioner.

Haiti's National Civil Aviation Office adds the aircraft involved in the crash was a Cessna 207, but provided no other details.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry announced he was saddened by the tragedy and offered his condolences to the victims' families in a tweet.

The crash comes nine months after another small, private plane, also bound for Jacmel, crashed near Port-au-Prince, killing six people, including two American missionaries.

The use of small planes to travel from Port-au-Prince to communities further south has gained popularity with the increase in kidnappings and gang violence, particularly in the Martissant area, which connects the capital to the southern region of Haiti.

-- This report by The Associated Press, with files from the Canadian Press, was first published in French on April 21, 2022.