CTV News is learning more about the victims of an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on the weekend, including a second connection to B.C.
Pius Adesanmi is one of 157 people who died when the Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed just after takeoff Sunday, reportedly due to technical issues.
He was the dean of the Institute of African Studies at Carleton University, and had previously studied at the University of British Columbia.
Adesanmi was on his way to a meeting with the African Union in Nairobi. The professor is being remembered as creative and witty, with an infectious laugh and a love for literary criticism.
Also among the other Canadians who died in the crash is Micah Messent, an Indigenous relations analyst from Vancouver Island, who was employed by BC Parks.
Messent was travelling to Kenya to participate in an environmental assembly hosted by the United Nations, where he would have met with youth and leaders from around the world.
In a statement issued Monday evening, Premier John Horgan said the government worker was "committed to tackling the challenges he saw around him in the world, both in his work to protect the environment and to advance reconciliation.
"On behalf of all British Columbians, we offer our thoughts and our prayers to his family and friends.
Messent had recently posted on social media about how excited he was to attend the UN event, and how grateful he felt for the opportunity.
The crash prompted questions from passengers booked on other Max 8 jets, who feared the aircraft may be unsafe. Canadian airlines spoke out through social media and official statements Monday saying they are confident the planes are safe, and that they would not be grounded in light of the crash.
All people aboard the plane on Sunday died in the crash. Among the 18 Canadian victims was a nine-month-old baby, Rubi Pauls, who was on the way to Kenya from Ontario to meet her grandfather for the first time.
