Edmonton student missing as Trudeau pledges solidarity with France
MacEwan University says Mykhaylo (Misha) Bazelevskyy travels under a Ukrainian passport, which explains why no Canadians were identified as missing after the attack.
Fri., July 15, 2016timer4 min. read
EDMONTON—A university student remained missing Friday while a second felt lucky to have survived after a deadly truck attack in France.
"There is nothing worse than the possibility that you might lose a student, because all of the future and all of the promise that goes with that is no longer there," said the president of MacEwan University after news that Mykhaylo (Misha) Bazelevskyy was unaccounted for.
"We continue to hope; we continue to pray," said David Atkinson
At least 84 people were killed when a truck full of weapons plowed into a crowd of Bastille Day revellers in the resort city of Nice late Thursday. Of more than 200 injured, 25 were on life support, French authorities said.
Bazelevskyy, a Ukrainian national who has permanent resident status in Canada, was one of five students and one MacEwan faculty member attending a summer program at the European Innovation Academy.
They were heading to the Promenade des Anglais to enjoy the fireworks, but inclement weather convinced three of them to turn back, said John Corlett, the university's provost and vice-president academic.
"Misha and one of our other students were on the promenade when the truck went into the crowd and the violence occurred," Corlett said.
"It was a chaotic kind of moment. At this point all we know for sure is that Misha is missing. Different reports have come back that he was involved in different ways. We're just not sure."
Corlett said the student with whom he has been in contact told him the pair were "quite close."
"He feels fortunate that he survived," he said.
"The truck was accelerating through about a two-kilometre pathway down the promenade and into the crowd, so there was just total chaos."
Making phone calls to the parents of the students who had returned to their residence was tough, Corlett said.
"They had not been following the news that day and they had not been aware that there had been events in Nice at all. They are trying to deal with a very, very difficult situation."
Bazelevskyy's parents are in Ukraine and have been contacted by Ukrainian authorities. The 22-year-old has a brother, sister-in-law and extended family in Edmonton.
In the fourth year of his bachelor of commerce program, Bazelevskyy is well-known on campus. He has run for student council, is a member of the varsity golf team and has volunteered for college athletics programs.
"The nicest guy that anyone could meet," said fellow student and friend Amy Beard.
"Misha just always wanted to say hi to everybody in the hallway and he would always stop to talk to you. It didn't matter how busy he was. He's such a good-hearted person."
Bazelevskyy was travelling on a Ukrainian passport and university staff are in contact with consular officials from that country.
"We're very hopeful that the Ukrainian consular staff, now being on site, will have access that we would not," said Corlett.
Global Affairs Canada said it was aware of the situation and was in touch with MacEwan officials.
"To date, we have no indication of Canadian fatalities," it said in a statement.
French police have identified the attacker as Mohamed Bouhlel, a 31-year-old Tunisian who lived in Nice.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the latest terrorist attack on France.
"Canada stands with France as a steadfast ally and we will work with the international community to fight terror to ensure that we live in a peaceful world," Trudeau said while in Calgary to attend the Stampede.
A Canadian who found herself in the thick of the horror in Nice said the city is trying to come to grips with the carnage.
Laurie Jones, a retiree originally from Quebec, had just returned from a trip to Canada when, jet-lagged, she also decided to check out the fireworks. Walking back after the display, she noticed a large white truck barrelling by.
Jones said she started to try to help victims, but then heard gunshots. She and countless others ran to take refuge in hotels along the trendy tourist strip.
"I didn't know where and what was happening; of course, no one did," Jones said. "There were a lot of hysterical people and a lot of tourists there who couldn't understand the language."
Jones snuck out of the hotel, figuring she'd be safer at home, about 150 metres from the promenade. Only later did she realize the scope of the attack.
In Montreal, flowers and candles were left at the downtown French consulate, which was to be the site of a candlelight vigil Saturday evening. Another event was planned for Quebec City earlier in the day.
A spokesman with a Vancouver Island school district said several students from the Nanaimo area were just metres from the attack, but all 85 teens are safe.
Dale Burgos, spokesman for the Nanaimo-Ladysmith School District, said the students continued with their planned itinerary on Friday.
"They did go on a day trip outside of Nice, which brings some routine and normalcy to the group," he said in an interview.
A decision on whether the students would return to Canada or finish their trip was still being debated Friday.
— With files from Bill Graveland in Calgary, Sidhartha Banerjee in Montreal and Beth Leighton in Vancouver
More on thestar.com:
No Canadian casualties reported in Nice attack so far, ambassador says
'I was running and crying,' Canadian witness in Nice says
Photos: Deadly Bastille Day attack in Nice