What we know about the Montreal victims of the Iran plane crash

A newly marriedbride and groom, a man and a woman whohad each recently obtained their PhDs in engineering, and two men training to be weldersareamong the Montrealers who died when a Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed near Tehran, killing all 176 passengers and crew.

Most of the people on the flight, some 138 passengers, were headed for Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said late Wednesday. Fifty-seven of them were Canadian citizens.

At least sevenpeoplehad beenliving in the Montreal region.An eighthlived in Valcourt, Que., and two others had lived in Montreal until recently before moving to Toronto.

Here are some of their stories.

Siavash Ghafouri-Azar and Sara Mamani

South Shore residents Siavash Ghafouri-Azar and Sara Mamanihad both earnedmaster's degrees in engineeringat Concordia University and were working in the area.

The pair were in Iran to celebrate their marriage.

Ghafouri-Azar's uncle, Reza Ghafouri-Azar, said a family member inIran called to let him know that Ghafouri-Azarhad beenon the plane.

"He was a great guy. Very dedicated to life, to people, very, very decent guy, to be honest one of the best I've seen in my life," he told CBC News.

Ali Dolatabadi, an engineering professor at Concordia who was one of Ghafouri-Azar's thesis supervisors, said he was a kind, diligent and talented student.

"When he started with us, he was working hard.... He really established a new methodology that we will use and are using [in our work]," he said.

Friends mourn newlyweds who died in crash

5 years ago

Duration 0:49

Siavash Ghafouri-Azar and Sara Mamani were both engineers who studied at Concordia.

Shahab Raana andSahan Hatefi Mostaghim

Shahab Raana andSahan Hatefi Mostaghim were training to become welders at a Montreal technical college.

Hamdreza Zahdi, a longtime friend of Raana, said Raana had been successful in Iran but had moved to Canada to "look for a better future."

He hadonly had five or six months left to complete his courses, Zahdi said.

ZahdisaidRaana loved to sing and play guitar, sometimes sending him recordings.

"Shahab was definitely one of the most kind-hearted people that I've met," he said.

"It's not because he's not among us that I'm saying that, but I truly mean it. Everybody who knew Shahab can say that he was definitely a very kind-hearted person who cares about everybody."

Faraz Falsafi

Faraz Falsafilived in Montreal for several years, earning a master's in computer science at McGillUniversity in 2014.

His friend Alborz Zamyadiremembers him asa skilled computer engineer who loved exploring forests like the Mont-Tremblantprovincial park, spending hours outdoors in search of the perfect photo.

Only knowing a few people in the area when he moved to Montreal from Quebec City in 2015, Zamyadiwas grateful to meet Falsafi at a dinner party andthey quickly became close.

"It was actually a gang of four of us. We were so close and doing a lot things together," he said, recounting Falsafi's passion for photography, nature and friends.

Falsafi moved to Toronto a couple years ago to pursue his career. Another long-time friend, Alireza Teimoury, said Falsafihad been returning from his sister's wedding in Iran.

Arvin Morattab and Aida Farzaneh

Arvin Morattab and Aida Farzaneheach recently received their PhDs in engineering from Montreal'scole de technologie suprieure and had been travelling in Iran.

They werea "lovely couple," said Ali Barzegar, a former colleague of Morratab. "He was a brilliant man."

Arvin's twin brotherArminsaid their deaths werean "unbelievable" loss for thefamily.

"They planned to have children. They just left to visit family and friends," he said.

The couple recently got their permanent residency in Quebec, he said, and were excited to start their careers.

Armin Morattab on losing his twin brother

5 years ago

Duration 1:02

He said the couple was full of life and planning on having a child.

Niloufar Sadr

Niloufar Sadr, 61,was returning to Toronto aftervisiting family in Iran, according to her ex-husband, MontrealerReza Banisadre.

He said they have three children,twin daughters, who are 40, and a 42-year-old son,devastated by the loss of their mother. Banisadre said Sadr had moved to Toronto from Montreal about two years ago.

"She loved life a lot. She had lots of friends. She was joyful," he said.

Sadr used tomanagean art gallery on de la Roche Street in Montreal known as MEKIC, forMaison d'dition Ketabe Iran Canada. Sadr's father, with whom she is pictured,was aprominent Iranian lawyer Ahmad Sayyed Javadi.

Negar Borghei andAlvand Sadeghi

A young couple, Negar Borghei and Alvand Sadeghi, were on their way back to their respective homes in Montreal and Toronto.

Borgheiwas doing a master's in nutrition atMcGill University, and Sadeghi was a web developer.

According to her LinkedInaccount, Borgheialso had a master's in sports nutrition from Azad University in Tehran.

MohammadMoeini

MohammadMoeini, 35, was an employeeatBombardier Recreational Products in Valcourt, 120 kilometres east of Montreal, the company confirmed.

He worked as a draftsman.

The passenger jet, Flight PS752, crashedWednesday just minutes after taking off from Tehran's main airport, turning farmland into fields of flaming debris.

The flight, which was destined for theUkrainian capital, Kyiv, is a common connection for Iranian-Canadians returning to Canada.

As of 2016, there were 23,410 people of Iranian origin living in Montreal. Only Vancouver and Toronto have larger Iranian communities.

UkrainianForeign Affairs MinisterVadym Prystaikoinitially said there were 63 Canadians on board. That number has since been revised to 57.

There were also Iranian, Swedish, Afghan, German, Britishand Ukrainiannationals on board the Ukrainian nationals included two passengers and the nine crew.

Foreign Affairs Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne has announced the creation of an international working group of countries assembled to press the Iranian regime for a full and thorough investigation of the incident.

The Quebec government has set up a hotline to assist those affected. The number is 1-877-644-4545.