A plaque to mark the 20th anniversary of the Air India disaster was presented by the Canadian Mounted Police to the Garda in Cork this morning.
The plaque was received by Assistant Commissioner Adrian Culligan at Anglesea Street Garda Station in recognition of garda efforts after the tragedy and in the subsequent investigation.
A memorial ceremony will take place tomorrow morning at Ahakista near Bantry. It will be attended by President McAleese, the Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, Premier Gordon Campbell of British Columbia and the Indian ambassador to Ireland, Saurabh Kumar.
The families of those who died in the disaster will also attend along with religious and local political representatives. Lamps will be lit in memory of the victims and placed in the sea.
Air India Flight 182 from Montreal to London exploded and crashed off the Cork coast on June 23rd, 1985 killing all 329 people on board.
It was the world’s deadliest commercial airline attack prior to the September 11th atrocities.
Two Indian-born Sikhs were cleared of the bombing in a British Columbia court last March following a two-year trial. The investigation and prosecution of the men was the most expensive case in Canadian history, costing around $130 million.