Candlelight vigils were held in several Canadian cities on Thursday (January 9) to remember the country’s 63 people killed in a plane crash in Iran, on a day when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blamed the disaster on the Iranian government.
In Toronto, mourners arranged candles on the ground and posted pictures of the victims. Some chanted “Death to Khamenei”, referencing Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The Ukrainian airliner that crashed, killing all 176 people aboard, was likely brought down by an Iranian missile, Trudeau said on Thursday, citing intelligence from Canadian, US and other sources.
The flight was a popular transit route for Canadians traveling to Iran, in the absence of direct flights, and carried many students and academics heading home from the holidays.