These are the victims of Toronto's deadly van attack

More victims are being identified by family, friends and employers after Monday’s deadly van attack on Toronto’s Yonge Street.

Among the latest victims to be identified are Betty Forsyth and Chul Min (Eddie) Kang

CBC News ·
A woman who lives at a Toronto Community Housing complex says her longtime neighbour Betty Forsyth was one of the 10 people killed in Monday's van attack. (Galit Rodan/Canadian Press)

A woman believed to be in her 90s and who lived at a community housing complex is the latest victim to be identified in Monday's van attack in Toronto that killed 10 people.

Betty Forsyth was described by her longtime neighbour Mary Hunt, 84, as a lively person who loved to feed the birds and squirrels on her regular walks through the neighbourhood.

Hunt said a relative of Forsyth called to break the news that her neighbour was among those killed when a white rental van mounted the sidewalk of busy Yonge Street and drove into pedestrians.

The accused driver, 25-year-old Alek Minassian, faces 10 counts of first-degree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder. 

Due to the complexity of the investigation, Ontario's chief coroner, Dr. Dirk Huyer, said Tuesday it will be several days before his team officially confirms victims' identities and that "to be fair to families," the names of all 10 victims will be made public at the same time.

But family, friends and employers have begun reaching out to news outlets and posting online about the people who have died. 

Renuka Amarasingha

On Wednesday morning, the Toronto District School Board identified Amarasingha as having died in the attack. 

John Molloy, director of education, said Amarasingha was a former TDSB adult student who had worked as a nutrition services staff member at a number of schools since 2015. She was also a single mother to a young son.

"It is with heavy hearts that we are learning of the death of a TDSB staff member whose life was tragically cut short," wrote John Molloy, director of education, in a statement.Renuka Amarasingha, a single mother, was confirmed by her employer, the TDSB, on Wednesday as having died in the attack. (Rangika Karunathilake)

Rangika Karunathilake, a friend of Amarasingha, said Wednesday that she is trying to come to terms with her death.

"She is like a sister to me. I have known her almost 13 years. The last two years she was very close to me," Karunathilake told CBC Toronto.

"This is an unthinkable tragedy. She didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve to die. How come these things can happen? They shouldn't die on the street. Like animals. I don't even know if animals are dying like this."

Ahangama Rathanasiri of the Toronto Maha Vihara Buddhist Meditation Centre described Amarasingha as "kind" and "helpful to society."

Rathanasiri said Amarasingha's friends first became alarmed when she did not return home on Monday afternoon to look after her son as usual.

"Normally she goes to the school to pick the child. At that time on that day she didn't go to the school, so we knew definitely that she died."

Anne Marie D'Amico

D'Amico was the first victim to be identified, one day after Monday's attack. 

She worked at the U.S.-based investment management firm Invesco. Its headquarters are close to the stretch of Yonge Street where the attack took place. Anne Marie D'Amico, who worked for an investment management firm, was the first person identified as having died. (Facebook)

D'Amico has been described by a co-worker as "full of life, loved to travel, loved to help volunteer."

Her family also released a statement saying she had a "a generous heart" and "always did big things for people." 

Dorothy Sewell

Sewell was on her way to the bank when she was killed.

The 80-year-old spent years working for Sears and volunteered helping other seniors. Dorothy Sewell, 80, was an avid sports fan and never missed a Blue Jays game, her grandson said Tuesday. (Submitted by Elwood Delaney)

Her grandson, Elwood Delaney, said she was the "best grandma you could ask for" and had an endless love for sports, especially the Blue Jays and the Maple Leafs. 

Chul Min (Eddie) Kang

Kang was an employee at the Copacabana restaurant in Toronto.

Kevin Panlilio was a distant friend of Kang, who he said had a wife in Korea. Three weeks before the attack, Panlilio said, Kang, always eager to hang out, sent him a text message asking if he wanted to meet. Panlilio was busy preparing for a trip to Manila and didn't have time to respond.Chul Min (Eddie) Kang worked as a chef. (Facebook)

With Kang gone, his friend is now filled with regret.

"I'm sad more I missed out on Eddie because of what our friendship could have been if I responded to his texts, to his phone calls, if I actually took the time to be friends with him as he would have wanted," Panlilio said.

"That regret sucks. That feeling of wanting to do something but you didn't and now you wish you had done it," he said. 

Panlilio hopes people will learn from the tragedy to tell their loved ones they love them "right now when they have the chance."

​Other victims confirmed by governments

Two governments, South Korea and Jordan, say they lost citizens in the attack. 

A statement from the Jordanian embassy identified Munir Najjar as the Jordanian. Najjar, embassy says, was a father and grandfather in his 80s.

Harry Malawi, a family friend and president of the Jordanian Canadian Society, said he was visiting his family in Toronto with his wife when he was killed. He had only been in the country for a couple of weeks when the van attack took place, Malawi said, adding the family is in the midst of a three-day mourning period.

Munir Najjar, a Jordanian citizen, was in Toronto visiting his son when he died. (May Tartoussy)

Meanwhile, the South Korean Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed to South Korean media outlets that two nationals were killed.

CBC News has not independently verified that reporting.

5 of injured in critical condition

Documents from Minassian's Tuesday court appearance obtained by CBC News identified 13 of the 14 injured.

Minassian is expected to be charged with a 14th count of attempted murder, pending some "follow-up investigations," according to Toronto police Det. Sgt. Graham Gibson.

The injured identified so far are:

  • Robert Anderson.
  • Mavis Justino.
  • Amir Kiumarsi.
  • Aleksandra Kozhevinikova.
  • Morgan McDougall.
  • Jun Seok Park.
  • Samantha Peart.
  • So Ra.
  • Catherine Riddell.
  • Sammantha Samson.
  • Beverly Smith.
  • Amaresh Tesfamariam.
  • Yunsheng Tian.

On Wednesday, Sunnybrook Hospital told CBC News that five of the 14 injured remain in critical condition, while three are in serious condition. 

With files from The Canadian Press