Edmonton university student confirmed dead in truck attack in France

EDMONTON – An Edmonton university has confirmed that one of its students was killed in last week’s truck attack in France.

MacEwan University says in a release that Mykhaylo Bazelevskyy, who was 22 and also went by the first name Misha, was among those who died in the July 14 massacre in Nice.

The school says confirmation of his death came late Tuesday from French authorities and his family.

“Few, if any of us, can comprehend the senselessness of what occurred in Nice,” school president David Atkinson said is a statement. “There is no greater loss to a university than a student who has so much life and promise ahead of him.”

Bazelevskyy — who was in the School of Business — had permanent resident status in Canada, but was travelling on a Ukrainian passport. His parents still live in the Ukraine, but his brother and sister-in-law live in Edmonton.

He was one of five MacEwan students who, along with a faculty member, were participating in a three-week entrepreneurship and innovation training program offered by the European Innovation Academy.

No one else in the MacEwan group was hurt.

Bazelevskyy was active in student life at the school. He was a member of the men’s cross-country team and a resident advisor.

“I know that everyone joins me in expressing our profound sympathy to Misha’s family at this terrible time,” Atkinson said. “Misha will be deeply missed by his friends and family.”