Justin Trudeau has vowed that his government will not rest until it has achieved justice for the 176 people who died when a Ukrainian passenger jet near Tehran – most of whom were traveling to Canada.
Speaking on Thursday, the Canadian prime minister called for a thorough investigation of the disaster as he endorsed mounting intelligence that the Ukrainian passenger jet was accidentally shot down by an Iranian anti-aircraft missile.
“We have intelligence from multiple sources – including our allies and our own intelligence: the evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile,” Trudeau said. “This may well have been unintentional.”
He said that evidence only strengthened the need for a full investigation into the disaster.
“It is now more important than ever to know exactly how this tragedy happens. Canadians want answers. That means transparency, accountability and justice,” he said. “This government will not rest until we get that.”
Iran has disputed reports it accidentally brought down the plane, and suggested mechanical failure and a fire onboard the aircraft was the cause of the crash.
News that the disaster may have been caused by a missile strike caused further distress for members of the Iranian community in Canada mourning the loss of friends and relatives.
“This is new and incoming disturbing information – but if true, I’m not surprised; especially given the actions of the Iranian regime,” said Payman Parseyan, the former president of Edmonton’s Iranian Heritage Society.
But Praseyan said that no amount of blame would bring back the victims. “We loved our community family and – whether the Iranian government was involved or not – they’re not coming home.”
Sixty-three Canadians were onboard the Boeing 737-800, operated by Ukraine International Airlines, when it crashed near Tehran on Wednesday. One hundred and thirty-eight of the passengers were destined for Canada, making the crash the country’s worst aviation disaster since the 1985 Air India bombing, which killed 268 citizens.
Victims included Mansour Esnaashary Esfahani, 29, a civil engineering doctoral student in Ontario who had flown to Iran in December to get married.
Esfahani had been due to return on 2 January to resume studies at the University of Waterloo, but decided to extend his ticket to 8 January.
His wife, Hanieh, had planned to begin a new life in Canada with him in February – a reunion that is now impossible.
Roja Azadian and her husband, Mohsen Ahmadipour, had expected to travel back to Ottawa together – but when they arrived at Tehran’s bustling Imam Khomeini airport, airline staff told them a prior cancellation to part of Ahmadipour’s ticket rendered the remainder of his journey invalid.
He planned to follow his wife on a separate flight and be reunited in Canada.
“He couldn’t get on the plane. His wife could get on the plane, unfortunately,” Kevin Manesh, who knew the couple, told the Ottawa Citizen. “He was the lucky person who didn’t get on the plane.”
Ontario resident Hamed Esmaeilion lost his wife, dentist Parisa Eghbalian, 42, and nine-year-old daughter, Reera, to the fatal crash.
On Facebook, Esmaeilion posted tributes to his daughter - including a video of her playing the piano and a photo of the two reading the newspaper.
“What should I do? What should I do?” he wrote. “What should I do with the magazine subscriptions that are coming for you?”
Moments before takeoff on #FlightPS752: Sahar Haghjoo and her daughter Elsa Jadidi in their seats ready to fly home to Toronto. @globalnewsto #UkrainianPlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/5InrvWhJzr
— Caryn Lieberman (@caryn_lieberman) January 9, 2020
Sahar Haghjoo, 37, helped settle immigrant and refugee women, working at the YWCA in Toronto – a job she held for five years. She was travelling in Iran with her only child, eight-year-old Elsa. Haghjoo’s husband was expecting to greet his wife and daughter on Wednesday at Pearson airport, but the pair never arrived.
Across the country on Thursday, schools flew their flags at half mast, honouring the grim news that many of the victims were students, researchers and academics.
“It is an unspeakable loss,” said Neda Maghbouleh, a sociology professor at the University of Toronto who studies Iranian migration through the US and Canada. Four University of Toronto students were killed in the crash.
“The people we lost in the plane truly represented the smartest young researchers in the entire world,” Maghbouleh told Reuters.
Late Wednesday, Canada’s foreign minister, François-Philippe Champagne, spoke with his Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif – a rare formal communication between countries with no diplomatic relations. The two nations severed diplomatic ties in 2012 under the Canada’s Conservative government – rendering any investigation by Canada exceedingly difficult. Despite previous pledges to revive relations, Trudeau has failed to do so.
“The response by the Iranian government, the Iranian foreign minister, was open, was encouraging,” said Champagne, who expressed optimism that consular officials would soon receive visas to go to Iran.
A series of vigils and memorials are scheduled to take place across the country in the next few days to honour victims of the crash.
