Dozens of Canadians and Iranians were among those who lost their lives when a Ukrainian plane crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran International Airport on Wednesday.
All 176 people on board died.
According to Vadym Prystaiko, Ukraine’s minister for foreign affairs, the dead included 82 Iranians, 63 Canadians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghanis, three Germans, and three British nationals.
Prystaiko said he spoke to a number of world leaders about the crash, including Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics, and Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu.
He also spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.
“[We] both expressed our condolences. Agreed to coordinate further actions of our investigation groups closely to determine the cause of the terrible plane crash #PS752 in #Tehran,” he said in a Twitter post.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his condolences for the families of the victims, and parliament speaker Dmytro Razumkov said in a Facebook statement, “Our task is to establish the cause of the crash of the Boeing and provide all necessary help to the families of the victims.”
Canada’s Foreign Minister François-Philippe Champagne said he spoke with the government of Ukraine after learning that dozens of Canadian nationals died in the crash.
“Tragic news regarding Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752. Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians. I have been in touch with the government of Ukraine,” he said in a statement.
“We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves.”
Linde, the Swedish foreign minister, said she expressed “our deepest condolences” to Prystaiko “on the tragic plane accident.”
“Our thoughts are with the victims and their loved ones,” she said in a statement.
