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'Devastating' – wedding party returning to Canada among 176 killed in jet crash over Iran

January 9, 2020
British nationals Sam Zokaei, Saeed Tahmasebi and Mohammad Reza Kadkhoda Zadeh died on the Ukraine International Airlines flight.

A wedding party from Canada were among the victims of a fatal plane crash in Iran yesterday.

All 176 people on board the Ukrainian flight died when it crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran and as the victims are being identified, tributes are flowing from the people they've left behind.

The victims included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons, according to Ukranian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko.

It's believed many of the victims had dual Iranian citizenship.

Canadian university students Pouneh Gorji, 25, and Arash Pourzarabi, 26, had gotten married in Iran on Friday, according to Canadian media. They, their friends and relatives who were travelling back from the wedding were all killed.

Writing on Facebook, a friend of the couple said the deaths were "devastating".

"Sometimes we forget how little control we have on our own lives," Azfar Rizvi wrote.

Another victim was identified as Mehdi Eshaghian, also a Canadian student, who had been back in Iran to visit family.

School friend Ali Mazaheri told CNN the man was "kind, humble, [and] caring".

"We are all sad. I was crying from the morning. He was going to be 25 in a week."

Professors of engineering at Canada's University of Alberta, Pedram Mousavi and Mojgan Daneshmand, were on board with their two young daughters - Daria, 14, and Dorina, 9.

From the University of Guelph in Ontario, Ghanimat Azhdari was remembered by a local professor as "one of my wonderful PhD students".

"A strong activist and advocate for the global indigenous peoples' movement, this is not only a loss for [us] but also for many communities, organisations and movements worldwide," her research group said in a statement.

Toronto resident and teacher Alina Tarbhai was "respected and well-liked by all", her employer told BBC.

"Her passing represents a profound loss for all of us who worked with her."

Winnipeg resident Forough Khadem was described as a "rising star", a "promising scientist and a dear friend".

London PhD student Saeed Tahmasebi Khademasadi, 35, was remembered by his university as a "brilliant engineer with a bright future".

"He was a warm, humble and generous colleague and close friend to many in our community," Imperial College told media in a statement.

BP paid tribute to engineer Sam Zokaei, saying: "We are shocked and deeply saddened by this tragic loss of our friend and colleague and all of our thoughts are with his family and friends."

The other British victim was identified as Mohammed Reza Kadkhoda Zadeh, who owned a dry cleaners in West Sussex, the BBC reports.

Ten of the victims were identified as Swedes, with Swedish media reporting several children among the victims.

Nine of the 11 Ukrainians killed were staff at the Ukraine International Airlines.

Three pilots have been named as Captain Volodymyr Gaponenko, First Officer Serhii Khomenko and instructor Oleksiy Naumkin, with a former colleague calling them "great pilots".

Ihor Matkov was the chief flight attendant, along with fellow flight attendants Kateryna Statnik, Yuliia Solohub, Denys Lykhno, Valeriia Ovcharuk and Mariia Mykytiuk.

The airline held a vigil in Kyiv's Boryspil Airport today, paying tribute to their colleagues.

It's not yet known what caused the crash but local media reports say it was the cause was a mechanical issue.

The black boxes have been found and will be examined by Iran.

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