The president of Western University is offering support to students in the wake of the news that four Western students were among the dead in a plane crash in Iran.
Alan Shephard issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, hours after news broke of the crash of Ukraine International Flight PS752.
"It is with sadness I share that Western is aware of four students who have died in the crash of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752 in Iran last night," Shephard's statement read. "Three were current graduate students and one was an incoming graduate student."
Out of respect for the families, Shephard said he would not name the students at this time. However, Western students Ghazal Nourian, Hadis Hayatdavoudi, Milad Nahavandi, and Sajedeh Saraiean have since been identified as victims of the crash through social media posts and other news outlets.
The Ukraine Airlines plane crashed shortly after take-off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport. The flight was bound for Kyiv. All 176 people on board were killed, including 63 Canadians. Western students and the university community were invited to gather in the International and Graduate Affairs Building atrium at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Grief counselling was also being offered to students.
Two students from the University of Guelph and another two from the University of Waterloo also died as a result of the crash, along with at least five University of Windsor students and researchers who are believed to have been among the dead.
While an investigation into the crash was just getting started Wednesday, Al Jazeera reports a spokesman for Iran's Road and Transportation Ministry said fire struck one of the engines and the pilot then lost control of the plane.
