Tehran tragedy shakes close-knit Iranian Canadian community in Metro Vancouver
Credit to Author: Nick Eagland| Date: Thu, 09 Jan 2020 03:24:14 +0000
B.C.’s Iranian community was plunged into grief Wednesday after at least a dozen people from this province with ties to Iran were among the 176 people killed when an airliner crashed into a field in Iran.
Ukrainian International Airlines Flight 752 had departed from Tehran’s international airport early Wednesday, bound for Kyiv, Ukraine, when it slammed into farmland on the outskirts of the capital shortly after takeoff. The eventual destination for the flight was Toronto.
“Everybody is shocked and everybody is deeply sad,” said Kei Esmaeilpour, president of the Civic Association of Iranian Canadians.
Esmaeilpour, who knew people killed in the crash, said Iranian Canadians in B.C. form a tight-knit community, now mourning together.
“For the close families it is much more difficult,” he said. “For the community members it is not acceptable, it is not a nice thing.”
Vigil outside Amir Bakery on Lonsdale ave. in North Vancouver on Wednesday.
Close to 48,000 people living in B.C. described their ethnic origin as Iranian during the last census, roughly a quarter of the 210,000 people of Iranian descent across the country. Most live on the North Shore and in the Tri-Cities, at the foot of the snow-capped mountains reminiscent of the Alborz mountain range adjacent to Tehran.
Esmaeilpour said community members are desperate for answers as to how and why they lost their loved ones. Investigators are working to determine what caused the plane to crash.
Passengers on the doomed plane included at least 63 Canadians, 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainian passengers and crew, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three Britons. Canadian officials said some of those identified as Iranians could have been dual Canadian citizens travelling n Iranian passports.
More than a third were 30 or younger, according to the airline’s passenger list. Many were students returning from winter breaks.
Vigil outside Amir Bakery on Lonsdale ave. in North Vancouver on Wednesday.
In Victoria, the Canadian flag flew at half-mast for the victims outside the parliament building.
“Our hearts and thoughts are with the families and friends of loved ones lost and the greater Iranian-Canadian community in B.C. that enriches life in our province,” Premier John Horgan said in a statement.
“As we wait for answers about what happened, we join with nations around the world that are mourning this tragic loss of life. We share in their grief.”
Wednesday evening, more than 100 people brought their fresh grief to a vigil at the Amir Bakery in North Vancouver. Its owner, Amir Pasavand, lost his wife, Ayesha, and their daughter, Fatemah, in the crash. He has already flown to Iran, hoping to retrieve the bodies of his family.
Many at the vigil had seen the news footage showing a field of scattered debris burning in the night. They had seen the first responders at daylight counting the dead, and combing through mangled fuselage and piles of luggage and clothing.
Many at the vigil wept openly and lit candles. Friends brought a ladder and hung a sign outside the bakery offering their condolences to Amir for the loss of his family.
Ensi Keshavarz was a customer and friend of the family, and wept while trying to describe the loss.
“She (Ayesha) was really hard working and she really tried hard to build this bakery with her family. She was a really nice person and always welcome to us as clients. She took time to talk to us and ask for our feedback about the bread,” she said.
“It’s unbelievable. I can’t believe it.”
“We have to support the family. Amir is alone right now,” said customer and friend Soheila Jamalian. “He is a great guy and his wife was really, really supportive. I love her. Every single morning, early in the morning, I came here and she was laughing and talking with everyone.”
Milad Emami, a member of the Iranian Canadian Congress in Vancouver, said the family was hard-working and took great care of each person who walked into the bakery.
He shared the pain of his fellow Iranian-Canadians but said it was important to grieve also for the others lost Wednesday.
“More than 170 people have died,” he said. “Also other nationalities. Ukrainians and Afghanis died, too. We should care about the humans.”
Others from Metro Vancouver who were killed included Firouzeh Madani and Naser Pourshabanoshibi, a couple who were both doctors working to get their getting medical credentials; engineer Daniel Saket and dental hygienist Fatemah Kazeranim, a couple from of North Vancouver; a Port Coquitlam family, Ardalan Ebnoddin-Hamidi, his wife Niloofar Razzaghi, and their teenage son Kamyar, and; Langara student Delaram Dadashnejad.
Ardalan Evnoddin-Hamidi, 48, Niloofar Razzaghi, 45, and, Kamyar Ebnoddin Hamidi, 15, of Coquitlam were among the passengers killed when Ukrainian airliner crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran on Wednesday.
Two days ago, when Behzad Abdi last spoke with Ardalan Ebnoddin-Hamidi, an old friend since their university days together in Tehran in the 1990s, they were planning a community celebration for the coming Iranian new year in March.
On Wednesday, Abdi was making calls to secure a venue for a sad new event: a memorial for Ebnoddin-Hamidi, his wife, Niloofar Razzaghi, and their teenage son, Kamyar, born in 2004, after the entire family was killed in Tuesday’s plane crash in Iran.
The family was on their way home to Vancouver after visiting relatives in Iran, Abdi said Wednesday in the Coquitlam offices of the Tri-City Iranian Cultural Society, where Abdi is chairman and Ebnoddin-Hamidi served on the board.
They were a kind, community-minded family with “very sweet hearts,” Abdi said.
“All the time, he was the first person: ‘Behzad, if you need any help for the community’ … Social activities, political activities, he was the first one that helped,” said Abdi, his eyes visibly red. “And they loved their son. All of their life … was about their son.”
Ebnoddin-Hamidi, a civil engineer, and Razzaghi, a public schoolteacher, immigrated to Canada from Iran about 20 years ago and worked for years after their arrival to upgrade their educations and credentials in their new country, said Kei Esmaeilpour, founder of the Civic Association of Iranian Canadians.
The family was passionate about encouraging other Iranian Canadians to engage in the political and democratic process at the municipal, provincial and federal levels in Canada, Esmaeilpour said.
When Ebnoddin-Hamidi used to bring his young son Kamyar along to meetings of the association, what struck Esmaeilpour was how the boy, only 10 or 11 at the time, was eager to help however he could, whether setting up chairs before a meeting or cleaning up afterwards.
“He always came and said: ‘Hi Uncle, what can I do today? What can I help with?’ ” said Esmaeilpour. “He was active, even at that age. It was amazing for us.”
Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart, who had known the family for years, said the deaths were a “tremendous loss” for the Tri-Cities community.
Ebnoddin-Hamidi worked on SkyTrain’s Evergreen Line extension into Coquitlam, Stewart said, and, “he put a lot of his heart and soul into the Evergreen Line, and many other pieces of infrastructure and many other buildings in Metro Vancouver.”
“This was a family that really tried to make sure their fellow Iranian Canadians participated in the democratic process, that everyone understood the roles and responsibilities in this adopted country of theirs. They were wonderful,” Stewart said. “They were committed to their culture, and committed to their new country.”
“They really wanted to be Canadian, in every way,” Stewart said. “I just adored these people. This is a knife through my heart.”
A group of relatives and close friends arrived Wednesday afternoon at the Ebnoddin-Hamidi and Razzaghi home on a quiet Port Coquitlam street. As they entered the house, Razzaghi’s brother collapsed to his knees in the doorway, sobbing.
“This is devastation,” longtime family friend Alex Ghasemi said outside the home. “We don’t want to believe it.”
Behnam Noohi, another family friend who used to cycle with Ebnoddin-Hamidi, stood on the family’s front lawn Wednesday, and said: “The last time we were here, a few months ago, we had a party in this house. But now, I can’t go inside now.”
The family had travelled to Iran a few weeks ago to celebrate Ebnoddin-Hamidi’s father’s 80th birthday, Noohi said.
“He wanted to see his father, because he was getting old and couldn’t travel to Canada,” Noohi said. “He told me: ‘This time might be the last time to see him.’ And he was right. But … ”
He trailed off, not finishing the thought.
Ebnoddin-Hamidi was a kind, patient man who was always there for his family, friends and community without needing to be asked, Ghasemi said, and Razzaghi was a caring woman beloved by the kids she tutored.
Their son was a bright young man who loved soccer, said Ghasemi, whose daughter was in Kamyar’s Grade 10 class at Riverside Secondary School in PoCo.
And then Ghasemi choked up.
“Oh God, I can’t believe it,” he said through tears. “He’s supposed to be home now. And he’s gone. He’s gone. Kamyar is not going to come back.
“He was perfect. When he was at goalie, you couldn’t beat him.”
— By Dan Fumano
B.C. student Delaram Dadashnejad has been named as one of the victims in Wednesday’s plane crash in Tehran.
Delaram Dadashnejad wasn’t supposed to be on Ukrainian Airlines flight PS752.
The former Langara College student was originally booked for a round trip on Lufthansa Airlines, departing Vancouver on Dec. 17 and returning on Jan. 7. Her friend Sia Ahmadi told The Canadian Press that the 26-year-old from Tehran had to change flights after her passport was stuck in Ottawa as part of her student visa renewal application.
She got her passport back the morning of Dec. 18 and rebooked with Ukrainian Airlines for a trip leaving that day and returning Jan. 8. Ahmadi said he was supposed to pick her up from the airport.
“She was a very loving and compassionate person with a very kind heart, very loyal to her friends, and always tried to help people. Always,” said Ahmadi.
Dadashnejad’s B.C. identity card was photographed among the debris at the crash site in Tehran.
B.C. student Delaram Dadashnejad has been named as one of the victims in Wednesday’s plane crash in Tehran.
Dadashnejad planned to become a dietitian because she was passionate about health, said Ahmadi, who added the young woman was an avid yogi and loved spending time outdoors in Vancouver.
He said she is survived by her sister, who lives in Burnaby, and her mother and father, who live in Tehran.
According to Langara’s student paper, The Voice, Dadashnejad graduated from the school’s English for Academic Purposes program, also known as LEAP, and was taking university transfer classes.
Langara president Lane Trotter offered condolences to Dadashnejad’s family and said, “We are heartbroken over the fatal tragedy that took place. Our thoughts and prayers are with those in mourning from this incident.”
Kamaljeet Kaur, an international student studying kinesiology, told The Voice that the international student community at Langara is struggling with the news.
“We are already facing so many troubles here,” Kaur said. “When we hear such news we get mentally disturbed because we always think about their families, how are they going to survive?”
Grief counselling services are being provided to Langara students.
— By Denise Ryan
Vancouver couple Mohammad Saket and Fatemeh Kazerani were killed in the plane crash Wednesday in Tehran.
A North Vancouver highrise property development was the focal point Wednesday for people mourning the loss of young married couple Mohammad Hossein (Daniel) Saket and Fatemah Kazerani.
According to a family friend, Saket and Kazerani were aboard doomed Flight PS752 that crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran airport on Tuesday on the way to Toronto. All 176 people in the plane died, including at least a dozen from B.C.
“We still can’t grasp what happened,” Farzad Taheri told Postmedia News.
Taheri said Saket was a mechanical engineer with Denna Homes and that Kazerani was a dental hygienist — the married couple were both in their early 30s.
The couple spend most of their weekends exploring the outdoors, from Harrison Hot Springs to Squamish, and were known for displaying “kindness and soft mannerisms,” said a donation page set up by the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation.
A memorial for North Vancouver residents Mohammad Hossein Saket and his wife Fatemeh Kazerani .
On Wednesday afternoon, at Denna Home’s Compass development on 680 Seylynn Cres., a beautiful framed black-and-white photo of the couple — described as Daniel & Faye Saket — sat on a marble desk in the building’s reception area alongside a condolence book. It’s believed the couple also lived in the building.
One co-worker had written: “Dear Daniel, I will miss your bright smile from your office every time I pass by. You greeted us with warmth. I will pray for your family.”
In a statement released by Denna Homes, the couple were described as having “a zest for life that lit up every room they entered. They will be sadly missed by our Denna Homes family.”
A Celebration of Life will be held for the couple at The Denna Club in the Compass building at 10 a.m. on Jan. 11.
According to Kazerani’s Facebook page, she lived in Vancouver, was from Tehran and studied biomedical engineering.
— By David Carrigg
From left to right Ayeshe Pourghaderi, Amir Pasavand and their daughter Fatemah Pasavand.
Amir Pasavand and Ayeshe Pourghaderi never tired of spending time together.
Whether it was at the family business, Amir Bakery in North Vancouver, where each day they spent long hours baking and selling traditional Iranian flatbreads like shirmal and barbari, or at home with their daughter Fatemeh Pasavand.
“I’m jealous of their family, they’re so close,” said Shahnaz Oleh, a friend who described Pourghaderi and her husband as a hard-working and kind couple who supported each other both in life and business.
That close-knit family was torn apart when a plane carrying 176 people — including Pourghaderi and her 17-year-old daughter — crashed early Wednesday, local time, shortly after taking off from an airport on the outskirts of Tehran.
Mother and daughter were returning from a two-week vacation in Iran, where they had visited family and friends.
A handful of the family’s devastated friends sat in a North Van living room Wednesday afternoon, wiping away tears and sharing memories over tea, dried fruit and sweets.
Amir Pasavand had already left for Iran to find his wife’s and daughter’s remains.
Oleh spent part of the previous evening with him, as he sat on his daughter’s bed and wept. She said he was in shock and barely able to speak.
Pourghaderi, 36, had been looking forward to the vacation with her daughter. She was always busy — she rarely stopped moving. However, she was also social and made time for her many close friends, who described her as quiet, polite and a very good listener. She loved to go on picnics with her family and friends.
“She’s very nice, friendly,” said Cheman Khodadady, between sobs. “So lovely, so amazing.”
Fatemeh Pasavand, a Grade 12 student at Carson Graham Secondary, was an only child who revelled in her parent’s attention and spent a lot of time with them, said Oleh, and was eager to visit Iran. She was quiet, beautiful and loved Kurdish dancing.
Fawziya Adelkhni said the family moved to Canada in 2014 because it’s more peaceful and safer than Iran, where they lived in Mahabad. They were successful, starting the bakery in 2015, and recently moving from a first-floor apartment to a highrise building a few blocks away. She said Pourghaderi had a citizenship test scheduled for Friday, and was very excited.
“I’m so sad,” said Adelkhni. “I can’t believe it. It’s very hard for everybody.”
Friends planned to gather at the bakery Wednesday evening to remember Fatemeh Pasavand and Pourghaderi.
— By Jennifer Saltman
Naser Pourshabanoshibi and Firouzeh Madani of North Vancouver died in the Ukrainian Air crash near Tehran on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2020.
Firouzeh Madani and Naser Pourshabanoshibi were award-winning doctors in Iran.
The pair immigrated to Canada from Iran in September 2013 with their daughter and were working on porting their medical credentials to Canada, said their niece Sara Hezarkhani.
“No words can describe their personalities, their true spirit, the passion that they had for the work,” said Hezarkhani.
In an archived blog post on the New To B.C. website, Madani was interviewed about her experience working to transfer her medical skills and qualifications to Canada. The blog post also spoke about Madani’s support from MOSAIC and Back in Motion — Skills Connect in order to secure work after immigrating.
“For my husband and I, the biggest challenge faced was finding a job, but the other issue we faced was the fact that our daughter was starting high school in a foreign country,” she had said.
As of 2015, Madani had taken one of the required three exams that would allow her to begin practising medicine in Canada.
Madani had also spent time volunteering with the North Vancouver City Library, helping to connect new immigrants with services available to them at the library.
“The North Vancouver City Library is heartbroken over the loss of members of our community in this tragic accident,” Chief Librarian Deb Hutchison Koep said in a statement. “We are especially saddened to hear that Firouzeh Madani, who volunteered as a Library Champion with our library through NewToBC, was among those lost. Our sincerest condolences go to Firouzeh’s family and friends.”
Firouzeh Madani is a North Vancouver doctor who was aboard Flight PS752 when it crashed shortly after takeoff in Tehran.
A LinkedIn profile for Madani also lists her as having practised medicine in Iran from 2005 through 2013. It said she was fluent in English and Persian and spoke some Romanian.
Mahmood Saii identified himself as the manager of the North Vancouver building where the family lived. Saii said he had known Pourshabanoshibi for about five years, since his family moved in.
Saii said Pourshabanoshibi had shared with him plans to visit Iran and then return to Canada.
“I know him, all the way since he came to rent this place,” said Saii. “Very nice, very family-oriented. He was trying to get his documentation for his profession to work here and it was a hard time. I know he was doing some work beside it but it was very hard, what he was trying to accomplish.”
Their daughter, 20, was reportedly in Tehran with the couple, but had returned home on an earlier flight.
Majid Mahichi, who runs Persian television studio Parvaz TV, is a childhood friend of Pourshabanoshibi who reconnected with him after the latter immigrated in 2013.
“He was one of the top students in town,” said Mahichi. “They decided to upgrade their education in Canada so they moved to a better life here.”
Mahichi said Pourshabanoshibi was kind and highly focused on education.
“Always thinking about a good future, you know? That’s why he moved to Canada, to have a better life,” he told Postmedia.
— By Stephanie Ip
Former UBC student Mohammad Asadi Lari was among the passengers killed when Ukrainian airliner crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday.
Mohammed Asadi Lari, a medical student, was a self-described policy geek, a youth mentor and a humanitarian who wanted to change the world. His sister Zeynab, a science researcher, wanted to get people talking openly about mental health.
UBC president Santa Ono confirmed on Wednesday that the siblings, both former students, were among the passengers killed when the Kyiv-bound Ukraine International Airlines plane crashed on takeoff from Tehran.
Ono expressed his sadness over the deaths of the talented siblings whose names were listed on the flight manifest and who are thought to have been visiting family in Tehran over the holidays.
Asadi Lari graduated from UBC in 2018 with a BSc in cellular, anatomical and physiological sciences with honours, and was enrolled in the medical faculty at the University of Toronto at the time of his death.
The self-described “policy geek” was the co-founder and managing director of STEM Fellowship, a national non-profit that has provided mentorship to thousands of young Canadians. Asadi Lari, who immigrated to Canada when he was in Grade 12, was also a TEDx speaker, humanitarian and an outspoken critic of racism who wanted to become the “best clinician-investigator-entrepreneur-global citizen I can be.”
Andrew Griffiths, a London-based friend who first met Asadi Lari at a LinkedIn event at Vancouver’s Science World said, “I have never met anyone who had such great potential to bring positive change to the world. Mohammed was going to have a huge impact on the world. In everything he got involved in, he was looking to make the world a better place and he was doing so in more ways than anyone I know.”
“He was incredibly humble and showed a great amount of humility in everything he did. The potential he had was incalculable and the world is a worse place without him,” said Griffiths.
Former UBC student Zeynab Asadi Lari.
Asadi Lari’s sister Zeynab reportedly enrolled at UBC in 2016 in the BSc program with a biology major, and according to her LinkedIn profile she had recently transferred to U of T, was a mentor to other students in the Coordinated Sciences Program, and frequently travelled to Tehran for research.
In August, Zeynab wrote a heartfelt post on Facebook praising Ono’s openness about his mental health struggles. Zeynab wrote about the intense pressure of studying at an “elite” school, and said her first year at UBC was so rough she felt lost and had panic attacks during finals. After working with an Access and Diversity counsellor, things started to change.
Zeynab was passionate about advocating for “conversation, support and initiatives” that would normalize mental health struggles, and “eliminate stereotypes and taboos.”
“The more we share, the better we get,” she wrote.
— By Denise Ryan
— With files from The Canadian Press