TORONTO, June 23 (UPI) -- Canada failed to prevent the bombing of Air India Flight 182 and treated victims' families with "scant respect," Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday.
Harper apologized to the relatives of the 329 people killed on the plane at a ceremony in Toronto to mark the 25th anniversary of the air disaster, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported. Most of those who died were Canadian citizens of Indian descent.
The flight to Mumbai by way of London went down off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985. A second bomb, apparently destined for an Air India flight, killed two baggage handlers at Narita Airport in Tokyo.
"This was evil, perpetrated by cowards, despicable, senseless and vicious," Harper said. "I will make no attempt to make any sense of it."
Harper acknowledged the intelligence errors that failed to prevent the bombing, documented in a recent report and that have led to only one person being convicted. He apologized for the treatment of the families.
"The families were for years after treated with scant respect or consideration," he said.
Similar ceremonies were held in Vancouver and Ireland.
