Hamilton City Hall to fly flags at half mast to honour Flight 752 victims

Hamilton | Ontario | Latest News |

By

Published January 9, 2020 at 10:10 pm

Flags at Hamilton’s City Hall will be lowered to half staff until sundown on Friday (Jan. 10) to honour the victims of Flight 752.

Flags at Hamilton’s City Hall will be lowered to half staff until sundown on Friday (Jan. 10) to honour the victims of Flight 752.

“On behalf of the City of Hamilton, I would like to offer my deepest condolences to the families, friends and loved ones of the 176 victims in Monday’s Ukraine Airlines Flight 752 tragedy,” said Mayor Fred Eisenberger in a statement released Thursday.

Among the victims, 63 were Canadian and three were part of the McMaster University family: Iman Aghabali and Mehdi Eshaghian, both engineering students, and former post-doctoral fellow, Siavash Maghsoudlou Estarabadi, Eisenberger’s statement says.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 crashed minutes after takeoff from Tehran’s main airport killing all 176 people on board.

In addition to the 63 Canadians on board, there were 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainians, as well as 10 Swedish, four Afghan, three German and three British nationals, officials have confirmed.

This represents the largest loss of life for Canadians in an air disaster since 1985.

In a Jan. 8 press conference, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the Canadian victims included families, parents, couples, newlyweds, students, and children.

“While no words will ease your pain, I want you to know that an entire country is with you. We share your grief,” he told reporters.

Trudeau confirmed earlier Thursday that Flight 752 is believed to have been downed by a surface-to-air missile fired from within Iran. He said it is very likely that it was ‘unintentional,’ he told reporters.

“Our hearts break for Iman, Mehdi and Siavash’s families, friends and loved ones,” Eisenberger said in his Thursday statement. “May you be comforted by the outpouring of love and support surrounding you during this incredibly difficult time. Its impact is felt across our nation and we join together as a community in mourning the loss of the victims of this tragic crash.”

insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising