B.C. school mourns killing of popular teacher

Grief counsellors were set to visit a Surrey school on Friday to help staff and students there deal with the news that a popular Grade1 teacher missing for more than a week was killed.

Police said on Thursday that a charred body found this weekis that of Manjit Panghali. The case has become a homicide investigation.

Panghali, who was four months pregnant,taught Grade1 at Northridge Elementary School, where counsellors will be made available for staff and students.

"It's been a tough week at the school," said Doug Strachan, spokesman for the Surrey School District. "She was a popular teacher. She was a popular colleague. A lot of people are mourning today."

The 30-year-old mother of a three-year-oldwas last seen leaving a pre-natal yoga class on Oct. 18.

Her husband Mukhtiar Panghali reported her missing more than a day later, after he says he called friends and family looking for her.

Manjit Panghali's badly burned body was foundnear a busycontainer terminal in Delta, south of Vancouver, on Monday. Her car was found hours later the same day.

Delta police will work with Surrey policeand theLower Mainland's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team on the case.

Police aren't saying whether they have any suspects.