Victims of Iranian plane crash 'represented the best of us,' mourners hear at U of Manitoba vigil

A memorial service was held at the University of Manitoba Friday afternoon to mournthe victims of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752, which crashed in Iran earlier this week.

"As the days go by, we're learning more about each of the passengers on Flight PS752, and our interconnectedness in our world is becoming evermore apparent," said U of M president David Barnard.

"It is written that the passengers on this flight represented the best of us," he said. "It's easy to understand why this is so."

CBC News has confirmed that at least eight people on board the flight were from Winnipeg.

The flight from Tehran to Kyiv, Ukraine crashed minutes after takeoff, around 6:15 a.m. local time in Tehran Wednesday. All of the 176 people on board were killed. Earlier figures put the number of Canadians on the flight at 63, but Foreign Affairs Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne announced Friday that the number of Canadian victims now stands at 57.

Jude Uzonna, who teachesimmunology and is the associate dean (research) at the U of M'sfaculty of health sciences, said hedid not prepare a speech for the memorial, wantingto speak from his heart about his friend Forough Khadem, who was among those killed in the crash.

She graduated with a PhD in immunology from the university in 2016, and wasa budding scientist, he said.

"Forough touched my life and she changed me as a mentor," Uzonna said.

He recalled that healways told Khadem that if she had been born in Canada, she would have becomeprime minister.

When the two started working together, though, there were many challenges, he said. Khadem was dealing with health issues shortly after coming to Canada, and there was pressure on Uzonna to let her go, he said.

"At the time, she says, 'Boss, please let me go,'" Uzonna recalled his student asking him.

His response, he said, was "'Forough, I can't let you go because we started this together. You're going to finish,'" he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"And she finished."

Ayda Mohammadian says she is still in shock after the loss of her boyfriend,Amirhossein Bahabadi Ghorbani.

Ghorbani, 21,was a science studentat the University of Manitobawhowanted to be a physician.

He worked hardto attain his goals, Mohammadian said. But he was also concerned for the safety of his family who still live in Iran, and who worked hard to help him come toCanada, she added.

Mohammadian said she hugged Ghorbani and cried just hoursbefore heboarded his flight fromWinnipeg to Iran.

WATCH:Ayda Mohammadian remembers her boyfriend, Amirhossein Ghorbani:

'He never called back': Winnipeg woman mourns boyfriend killed in Iran plane crash

5 years ago

Duration 0:51

Ayda Mohammadian says she is still in shock after the loss of her boyfriend, Amirhossein Ghorbani, in the crash near Tehran of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752.

"'I feel if you go, I'm going to lose you,'" she recalled telling him.

With tears in his eyes, he replied,"'Don't be silly. Am I going to die? I will be back in 20 days,'" said Mohammadian.

"But he didn't come back."

Mohammadiantold CBC News after the ceremony that she had planned a party for his return on Wednesday, but received the call about the crash Tuesday.

"For two, three hours, I was just laughing because I couldn't believe. I was really shocked," she said.

After a few hours, Mohammadian started looking at the list of names of people who were on board. She says she scanned it six or seven times.

"Then I was like, 'Who am I kidding? The name is there. I'm not going to change anything,'" she said, breaking down into tears.

"I don't have the chance to hug him again, to kiss him again, to smell him."

As people mourn, Canada is demandinganswers.

Though Iranian officials have denied the allegations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday thatintelligence suggeststhe plane wasshot down by an Iranian missile possibly by mistake.

The Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday that it was invitedto Iran to investigate.

But Friday evening, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced that representatives from various countriesare coming together to pushthe Iranian government "for a full and thorough investigation of the destruction of Flight PS752."

Meanwhile, inside the engineering building at the University of Manitoba, candles were lit for each of the victims with ties to Winnipeg.

WATCH:Winnipeg victims of Iranian plane crash remembered at U of Manitoba vigil:

Winnipeg victims of Iranian plane crash remembered at U of M vigil

5 years ago

Duration 3:10

A memorial service was held at the University of Manitoba on Friday, Jan. 10, 2020, to mourn the victims of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752, which crashed in Iran on Jan. 8.