Canada confirmed on Wednesday that it had received the Iranian report on the crash of Ukraine International Airlines plane 752, which left 176 people dead in early 2020, describing it as “incomplete” and “without conclusive facts or evidence.”
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The report does not attempt to answer important questions about what actually happened. “It appears incomplete and does not contain concrete facts or evidence,” Foreign Secretary Marc Garneau said in a press release.
The civilian aircraft was a target of Iranian military missiles shortly after takeoff on January 8.
The attack took place amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States following the Trump administration’s assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani less than a week ago on January 3. In the hours leading up to the tragedy, Iran launched missiles near US bases in Iraq, in a show of force, and its air defense was on high alert.
Minister Garneau said he was “deeply concerned about the lack of convincing information and evidence, despite the publication of this investigation report.”
The Transportation Safety Board (TSB) will comment on the report Thursday morning, and in the coming weeks, it will release its own report on the tragedy. The minister announced that Canada “will soon disclose the results of its investigation.”
In addition, the “International Coordination and Intervention Group for Flight Victims PS752”, which includes Afghanistan, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Ukraine, has acknowledged receipt of the report and indicated that comments will be issued in due course.
Most of the passengers were of Iranian origin, and many resided in Canada, including a few in Quebec. According to the federal government, 138 of the 176 victims had links to Canada.
“Canada reiterates its commitment to seek answers and achieve justice by holding Iran accountable for this act, and ensuring that it bears full responsibility for it and provides full compensation for damages to the families and loved ones of the victims of Flight PS752,” concluded Marc Garneau.
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