Dozens of Canadians on board doomed Ukraine Airlines flight
More than a third of the 176 people killed in an Iran air crash were Canadian citizens.
The Ukraine International Airlines flight crashed just after taking off at Tehran Airport, killing all aboard.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko said there were 63 Canadians aboard.
It is thought most were Canadian-Iranian citizens.
There were also 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedish, four Afghan, three German and three British nationals on the Boeing 737-800 plane.
The jet crashed just hours after a retaliatory strike by the Iranian military on an air base housing US soldiers.
A mechanical problem was first mentioned as a likely cause but this has now been deemed premature.
Iranian officials have refused to hand over black box recorders to Boeing or to the US.
It was en route to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
"Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians," Canadian foreign minister Francois-Philippe Champagne tweeted.
"I have been in touch with the government of Ukraine. We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves."
Payman Paseyan, former president of the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton, said at least 27 were from the Edmonton area.
Many were family members including a newlywed couple, Paseyan said.
"We are in contact with our airline customer and stand by them in this difficult time. We are ready to assist in any way needed," plane maker Boeing said.
It is one of the deadliest aviation accidents involving Canadians.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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