Family of Amtrak crash victim Abid Gilani in shock
Former Saskatonian Abid Gilani died in Tuesday train crash
The cousin of a man killed in an Amtrak train crash says his family is still coming to grips with the loss.
Abid Gilani was an executive with Wells Fargo, a major U.S. financial firm. Gilani and seven other people were killed when his train derailed as it rounded a curve.
Gilani lived in Saskatoon for seven years, receiving his MBA from the Edwards School of Business the University of Saskatchewan.
His cousin, Farooq Naiyer, took a job in Saskatoon after asking Gilani what he thought of the city.
"He loved Saskatoon," said Naiyer. "After that he moved to Calgary or Edmonton, so he lived on the prairies after that, but he spoke quite highly of Saskatoon."
Gilani was very successful in the financial world, working as a senior executive at Marriott as well as Scotiabank.
"He was an accomplished person," said Naiyer. "Canadians should be proud of him, that he was so well placed."
Gilani's death is hitting the family hard. Naiyer said he last saw his cousin at a recent funeral for another family member in the U.S.
"Right before he left, he gave me a big hug and said, 'We should meet up sometime,'" he said. "I never knew that was going to be the last hug with him."
Gilani's funeral will be held on Sunday.