Ukraine plane crash kills 63 Canadians

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) - All 176 on board were killed Wednesday when a Boeing 737-800 crashed minutes after taking off from an Iranian airport.

Included were 63 Canadians, 82 Iranians, 11 Ukrainians, 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals.

The plane was headed to Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he contacted Ukraine officials Wednesday.

“Tragic news regarding Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752,” Champagne tweeted. “Our hearts are with the loved ones of the victims, including many Canadians. I have been in touch with the government of Ukraine. We will continue to keep Canadians informed as the situation evolves.”

The crash happened hours after an Iranian missile attack on American troops who were stationed on several Iraqi bases.

Officials from Iranian and Ukrainian speculated the crash was due to a mechanical malfunction. But the Ukrainian Embassy in Tehran later said the cause of the crash was not official.

“Our task is to establish the cause of the crash of the Boeing and provide all necessary help to the families of the victims,” Ukraine Parliament Speaker Dmytro Razumkov said in a Facebook post.

The airplane had undergone an inspection Monday, Ukraine officials said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered all civil airplanes in Ukraine be inspected, “no matter the conclusions about the crash in Iran.”

Ukraine International Airlines has suspended all flights to Tehran.