At least 12 B.C. residents were killed when a Boeing 737 plane crashed shortly after takeoff in Tehran on Wednesday, killing all 167 passengers and nine crew members on board.
The Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 was en route to Kyiv — Ukraine’s capital — went it went down on the outskirts of Tehran. Officials have said it appears there was a fire in one of the engines.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko said the plane was carrying 63 Canadians, 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainian passengers and crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons.
Here are some of the B.C. residents who were killed.
Delaram Dadashnejad
Delaram Dadashnejad was an international student flying home to Vancouver after a visit with family in Tehran, according to a statement released by Langara College president Lane Trotter issued on Tuesday morning.
“On behalf of the Langara College community, I would like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Delaram Dadashnejad,” it read. “The loss of one of our students is one that impacts our entire community.”
Ayeshe Pourghaderi and Fatemah Pasavand
Arash Azrahimi, who owns Rosewood Photography in North Vancouver, told the Vancouver Sun that some of the victims were his clients, including a mother, Ayeshe Pourghaderi and her daughter Fatemah Pasavand, who lived in North Vancouver.
Dr. Firouzeh Madani and Dr. Naser Pourshabanoshibi
Also from North Vancouver and killed in the crash were Dr. Firouzeh Madani and Dr. Naser Pourshabanoshibi.
Madani immigrated to Canada from Iran in September 2013 with her husband and daughter.
Majid Mahichi told the Tri-City News the couple had known each other since they were 16 years old as high school students living in northern Iran.
“He was the top student in the school,” said Mahichi, adding that his friend went on to become a doctor, like him, and eventually moving to Canada.
“He was trying to be a good doctor,” he said. “They went to visit their parents but decided to come back.”
Mohammad Saket and Fatemah Kazerani
North Vancouver couple Mohammad Hossein (Daniel) Saket and Fatemah Kazerani also died, according to relative Farzad Taheri. Taheri said Saket was an engineer and Kazerani was a dental hygienist.
Ardalan Ebnoddin Hamidi, Kamyar Ebnoddin Hamidi, and Niloofar Razzaghi
The Port Coquitlam family was returning from a two-week vacation in Iran. (via Facebook)The Tri-City News has confirmed that Ardalan Ebnoddin-Hamidi, his wife Niloofar Razzaghi and their teenage son Hamyar Ebnoddin-Hamidi were on their way home to Coquitlam after a two-week vacation.
Sima Ghaffarzadeh, who went to an engineering university with the father and now runs the Persian magazine Hamyaari out of Port Moody, said many of those who died were headed back after Christmas holidays.
Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammad Asadi Lari
Brother and sister Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammad Asadi Lari also died in the crash, according to the Vancouver Sun.
According to Azrahimi’s social media posts, the pair were studying in Vancouver, and their father is an official in the Iranian government.
Both say they had studied at UBC, and Mohammad is listed as the co-founder of the STEM fellowship, a youth-run Canadian non-profit organization that uses mentors to give students skills in data science and scholarly writing.
— With files from the Vancouver Sun, North Shore News, Tri-City News, The Canadian Press and The Associated Press
