Five Quebecers die in plane crash in Tehran

Isabelle Ducas
The Press

Montreal engineers Siavash Ghafouri-Azar and Sara Mamani, two engineers, had gone to their nation of origin to get married, after greater than a yr of engagement. They returned dwelling on Wednesday to renew work.

“That they had simply purchased a home in Longueuil and have been keen about renovating it,” stated Navid Sharisi, a pal of Siavash Ghafouri-Azar, with whom he did analysis at Concordia College.

M. Ghafouri-Azar and M^me Mamani had met on the college, the place they each accomplished a grasp's diploma just lately.

Three different Quebecers have been on board the crashed plane. They’re stated to be Arvin Morattab, Aida Farzaneh and Mohammed Moeini.

“The whole Iranian neighborhood is affected, everyone seems to be in mourning,” stated Mr. Sharisi, himself from this nation.

Siavash Ghafouri-Azar, 35, was an engineer for Pratt & Whitney in Longueuil, whereas Sara Mamani, 34, labored for Bombardier, on the head workplace of René-Lévesque Boulevard in Montreal.

One other couple died within the catastrophe: Aida Farzaneh, 33, and Arvin Morattab, 35. M^me Farzaneh was a specialist within the vitality effectivity of buildings for the architectural agency Lemay, in Montreal. Morattab was an vitality techniques engineer for merchandise firm Eaton in Saint-Bruno. Each had accomplished doctorates on the École de technologie supérieure (ETS).

The architectural agency Lemay, which employed Ms. Farazeh, is in mourning.

“Though Aida had been with Lemay for lower than three months, she had already made her mark on the crew,” stated Cristine Tessier on behalf of the corporate. “As a constructing vitality specialist finishing a second doctorate, she impressed these round her along with her clever and structured method and her transdisciplinary experience. His colleagues may even keep in mind his ever-present smile. “

Mohammed Moeini, 35, lived in Sherbrooke and labored for Bombardier Leisure Merchandise (BRP), the place he was a mechanical designer.

“We’re shocked to study of the dying of considered one of our workers,” stated Elaine Arsenault, media relations advisor at BRP. We provide our honest condolences to the household of Mohammad and to all of the households of the victims of this horrible tragedy. The ideas of BRP senior administration and workers are with them. “

What we all know :

– Ukraine Worldwide Airways’s Boeing 737-800 plane had simply taken off. The Ukrainian embassy in Iran first claimed that the airplane had suffered an engine failure, however then modified its thoughts, saying that the reason for the accident was nonetheless being investigated.

– The crash occurred hours after Iran despatched 22 missiles to bases sheltering American troopers in Iraq in retaliation for the US assassination of Iranian Common Qassem Soleimani on Friday.

– The 63 Canadian victims are predominantly of Iranian origin, and 27 are believed to be residents of Edmonton. Canadian Minister of International Affairs François-Philippe Champagne has warned that the dying toll for Canadian victims might change as some passengers have twin citizenship, which makes the scenario “extraordinarily fluid”. A few College of Alberta professors and their two daughters have been on the flight, as have been a number of different members of the Iranian neighborhood there, Radio-Canada studies.

– Greater than a 3rd of the passengers have been aged 30 or youthful, in accordance with the passenger checklist. A number of Canadian universities have recognized college students among the many victims.

– The vast majority of the victims, 82, are of Iranian nationality. Along with sixty Canadians, the plane carried 11 passengers of Ukrainian nationality (9 of whom have been crew members), ten passengers of Swedish nationality, 4 of Afghan nationality, three passengers of German nationality and three of British nationality , in accordance with the Minister of International Affairs of Ukraine, Vadym Prystaïk. Many of the passengers have been in transit from Tehran to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev.

– The airplane caught fireplace shortly earlier than hitting the bottom, round 6:10 a.m. native time, about 45 km northwest of Tehran airport, within the metropolis of Chahriar, Ukraine Worldwide Airways confirmed in an announcement.

– After having raised a mechanical drawback, the Ukrainian authorities modified their thoughts and indicated that the causes of the crash have been nonetheless unknown. “I actually ask everybody to chorus from hypothesis concerning the catastrophe,” stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a Fb submit.

A number of airways, together with Air Canada, have introduced that they are going to change their flight paths to keep away from flying over Iran and different components of the Center East, in accordance with Transport Canada.

– Tehran has indicated that it refuses to provide the People the black packing containers which file all the info of a flight, discovered by the rescue groups, in accordance with the civil aviation of the Iranian capital. In accordance with the foundations of the Worldwide Civil Group (ICAO), the duty for the investigation lies with the nation the place the accident passed off. The ICAO conference states that the State the place the gadget was designed and constructed (right here america), the State of the operator (Ukraine) “every has the ability to nominate an accredited consultant who will take part within the survey. ” The pinnacle of the Iranian Civil Aviation Group, Ali Abedzadeh, stated that “Ukrainians will have the ability to take part” within the investigation, however refuses to ship the black packing containers to america.

– The plane was put into service in 2016 and had undergone upkeep on January 6, two days earlier than the incident. Boeing stated in a tweet that it’s “in contact” with the Ukrainian firm and says it’s “prepared to help in any manner”.

– Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stated Canada will work with worldwide companions to analyze the causes of the crash. Minister of International Affairs François-Philippe Champagne and Minister of Transport Marc Garneau are in touch with their overseas counterparts, he stated. Minister Garneau famous on Twitter that Canada will provide technical help to the investigation. Prime Minister Trudeau additionally supplied condolences to the households of the victims by means of his Twitter account. The Transportation Security Board of Canada (TSB) has appointed an knowledgeable to obtain and overview the data to be launched by Iran and to observe up on the investigation.

– With La Presse canadienne, Agence France-Presse, Philippe Teisceira-Lessard, The Press and Janie Gosselin, The Press

Overview of a few of the deadliest air disasters involving Canadian victims

January eight, 2020: Ukrainian flight 752 to Kiev crashes shortly after takeoff in Tehran, Iran, killing 176 individuals on board, together with 63 Canadians.

July 24, 2014: Air Algérie flight 5017 from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to Algiers crashes in Gossi, Mali, killing 116 individuals together with 5 Canadians and 6 everlasting residents, all from Quebec.

October 31, 1999: EgyptAir flight 990, flying from Los Angeles to Cairo, with a stopover in New York, crashed about 100 km south of Nantucket, Massachusetts, killing 217 individuals on board, together with 22 Canadians.

September 2, 1998: Swissair flight 111 crashes off Nova Scotia, killing 229 individuals on board, together with 4 Canadians.

June 23, 1985: Air India flight 182 between Toronto and Montreal in London explodes in flight over the Atlantic close to Eire, killing 329 individuals on board, together with 268 Canadians.

September 1, 1983: Korean Air flight 007, connecting New York to Seoul, South Korea, through Anchorage, Alaska, was shot down by Soviet fighter planes, killing 269 passengers and crew, together with 9 Canadians.

February 11, 1978: Pacific Western Airways flight 314, which flew from Edmonton to Castlegar, British Columbia, crashed close to Cranbook, BC, killing 38 passengers and 4 crew members. Seven individuals survived the accident.

July 5, 1970: Air Canada flight 621 Montreal-Toronto-Los Angeles crashed close to Toronto, killing all 109 individuals on board.

July eight, 1965: Canadian Pacific Airways flight 21 from Vancouver to Whitehorse crashed in British Columbia, killing all 52 individuals on board.

November 29, 1963: Trans-Canada Air Strains flight 831 Montreal-Toronto crashed close to Sainte-Thérèse-de-Blainville, north of Montreal, killing 118 individuals on board. The overwhelming majority of occupants have been from Toronto.

August 11, 1957: Maritime Central Airways flight 315 from London to Toronto crashed close to Issoudun, within the Quebec area, killing the 79 individuals on board.

December 9, 1956: Trans-Canada Air Strains flight 810 crashed close to Chilliwack, British Columbia, killing the 62 individuals on board.

April eight, 1954: Trans-Canada Airways airplane collided with a small Air Power Harvard plane over Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, killing 35 individuals on board and one on the bottom.