Hundreds turned out Friday to a prayer service in Stratford, Ont., for the 10 Peruvian farm workers killed in a horrific crash earlier this week.

The memorial began 7 p.m. at St. Joseph Catholic church. The migrant workers were killed when the passenger van they were travelling in ran a stop sign on Line 47. A truck travelling south on Perth Road 107 hit the van, killing 10 of the 13 people inside.

The three survivors remain in hospital. Two are in stable condition and the status of the third person hasn't been disclosed at the family's request.

The truck driver, Christopher Fulton, 38, was also killed.

Jeff Sage, Perth County EMS Commander, was on the scene that ill-fated day. He was also in attendance at Friday service.

"We are here tonight basically to celebrate the lives of these people...to mourn, to grieve," he told CityNews.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board will be covering the costs of repatriations, funerals and other expenses for the Peruvians, some of whom had only arrived in Canada weeks before the crash. They worked on chicken farms across southern Ontario.

The OPP said the man driving the van didn’t have the F-class driver’s licence needed to operate a vehicle with more than 11 people. The van had a maximum capacity of 15.

A visitation for Fulton — who died on his way home to celebrate his 11th wedding anniversary — was also held Friday evening at the A. Millard George funeral home in London. His funeral is on Saturday morning.

"He was a gentlemen, he loved his wife," said Janice Copeland, who worked with Fulton. "He was on the straight and narrow and just a nice young man."

• The family is asking that donations in Fulton’s honour be made to the Paws-United Dog Rescue, c/o Market Pet Shop, 26 Kilworth Park Drive, Komoka, Ont., N0L 1R0.