‘She did everything with a smile on her face’
Montreal student Negar Borghei and her husband were among Flight 752’s victims in Canada. Here are more of their stories:
Negar Borghei was “the type of sister you could rely on.”
“Because of her, I believed that having an older sister is a blessing,” said Hamidreza Borghei, who described his sister as beloved by colleagues, family and friends alike.
“She did everything with a smile on her face. She was perfect,” Hamidreza said.
Negar, a master’s student at McGill University, was killed along with her husband, Alvand Sadeghi, a web developer working in Toronto, when their Ukraine-bound flight crashed soon after takeoff from Tehran on Wednesday. All 176 people on board died, including 63 Canadians.
Sadeghi’s sister, Sahand Sadeghi, and her daughter, Sophie Emami, a senior kindergarten student at Lillian Public School in Toronto, were also among the victims.
Amirhossein Maleki, a cousin of Negar, told the Star that she had already received a master’s degree in Iran, but was pursuing another in Canada. Alvand — who was also a skilled pianist, according to Maleki — moved here after she did.
Hamidreza said Negar would take the train to Toronto every weekend to see her husband, who he said was like a “brother” to him.
He believed that Alvand was “the perfect match” for his sister: they were both calm, collected, warm and hardworking.
“They were lovebirds; you never saw them fight or argue. And there was no tension, even when they were apart for work and school. If anything, they were more in love because of the distance,” Hamidreza said.
Sahand was “the most hospitable person,” Hamidreza said. And Sophie, her daughter, was “an angel.”
Hamidreza said that two days before the family was set to depart, Sophie wanted to practise her English. Hamidreza helped her out.
“We made a menu with food on it. And she put ‘poutine,’ the most Canadian food ever, as her first item. Then ice cream and jelly beans and cake.”
Sophie seemed “homesick for Canada” the whole trip, Hamidreza says.
In a statement, the Toronto District School Board said she was an amazing child who was dearly loved by her teachers and classmates. “She always had a smile and hug for everyone,” a statement said.
Hamidreza said he wanted to thank “everybody in Canada” for giving his sister “freedom, peace and hospitality.”
“I’m so glad she chose Canada; it was the land that gave her freedom — and we will never forget that.”
As tributes and details emerge about the victims of Wednesday’s crash, the Star is sharing what we’ve learned of those who lived in Canada. Toronto architect Mahdieh Ghassemi, and her children, Arsan Niazi and Arnica Niazi Mahdieh Ghassemi, a Toronto architect, her son Arsan Niazi, 11, and daughter Arnica Niazi, 8, were also on board the plane that crashed, according to Nitin Malhotra, the founder of N Architecture Inc.
Ghassemi had worked at the firm for five years, according to Malhotra, who described her as a “rock star” in her field and said that she’d left “a lasting impression” due to the nature of her job.
Malhotra said that right before she flew to Iran, Ghassemi had won an urban design award for a Tim Hortons that she’d designed in Brampton.
“You really can’t get any more Canadian than that,” he said.
The Toronto District School Board confirmed Arsan was a Grade 6 student at Pleasant Public School who was enrolled in the extended French program for three years, a letter that went out to parents states. “He is a wonderful example of kindness and will be sorely missed by our students and staff,” the letter states.
Arnica Naizi was in Grade 3 at Finch Public School, where she was being remembered for her “bright smile, positive spirit and kindness to all.” Toronto students Rahmtin Ahmadi and Shahzad Eghbali On Thursday, the Toronto District School Board also confirmed the names of two more students who were killed in the crash.
The TDSB sent out letters notifying the Muirhead Public School community that Rahmtin Ahmadi, a Grade 4 student at the North York school, was killed. The note called Ahmadi an “energetic and enthusiastic young man,” who loved to play tag and was known to “greet staff and students each morning with a friendly hello.”
Shahzad Eghbali, a Grade 3 student at Dallington Public School, was “a very creative and curious student,” a letter sent out by the school reads. “She enjoyed coming to school and approached her learning with enthusiasm.” School officials wrote that Eghbali’s “thinking was out of the box and she brought new, innovative ideas to her classmates.” Saharnaz Haghjoo and her daughter Elsa Jadidi, Scarborough Saharnaz Haghjoo, the manager of the Jump Scarborough program at the YWCA, was also killed in the crash along with her daughter Elsa Jadidi, a Grade 3 student at Al Haadi School, a private elementary school in Scarborough.
The Jump program is designed to help resettle newcomers to the city.
Jadidi had gone to school at Wali ul Asr in Brampton up until last year. A Facebook post from Wali ul Asr called her a “wonderful girl who was always smiling.”
Haghjoo’s sister is one of Wali ul Asr’s central campus teachers. The school called Haghjoo “a great supporter of the school,” always making a point to “express her gratitude and appreciation to Elsa’s teachers.” Engineer Kasra Saati, Calgary Engineer Kasra Saati, listed as a passenger by the airline, is believed to have been on the flight, according to a statement from his former employer, Viking Air.
In an emailed statement, a company spokesperson said he’d been a valued member of the team at the Calgary aircraft assembly facility up until last month.
“His loss is deeply felt by everyone who had the opportunity to work with him,” the statement read. Ajax family Hiva Molani, Evin Arsalani and daughter Kurdia Molani A young family of three from Ajax were also killed in the crash. Evin Arsalani, 30, her husband, Hiva Molani, 38, and their one-year-old daughter Kurdia were all passengers on the flight that crashed. They were returning to Canada after spending three weeks in Iran to attend a wedding, according to friend Nasrin Alizadeh.
“We are all shocked and in disbelief. It was Evin’s birthday on Jan. 2, and she had just turned 30,” said Alizadeh in an emailed statement. “Evin’s mother is currently in the hospital with the rest of her family as her mother became ill after hearing the news.
“They are a well respected and well known family here among the Kurdish Iranian community. May they rest in peace.”
In response to the deaths, Ajax Mayor Shaun Collier said he’d directed staff to lower flags to half-mast.
“It’s a tragic loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” he said. Fatemeh Kazerani and Mohammadhosse Saket, North Vancouver A young couple from North Vancouver, Fatemeh Kazerani and Mohammadhosse Saket, were confirmed to have been on the flight.
Sima Ghaffarzadeh, editor of Farsilanguage Hamyaari media, told the Star that a relative had identified the pair. Asghar Dhirani, Caledon Asghar Dhirani was remembered for his “vivacious personality on the golf course.” He was a religious leader and supporter of the non-profit Wali ul Asr school in Caledon, close friend Shaiq Ibrahim said. He would lead pilgrimages back to various religious sites in Iraq and Iran with the community.
“He was extremely helpful, kind, and polite,” the Wali ul Asr school wrote in a Facebook post. “He often told the school’s management ‘Please to not hesitate to ask, I will help the school in any way I can, whatever little I can do.’” Western University students Milad Nahavandi, Hadis Hayatdavoudi, Ghazal Nourian and Sajedeh Sareian In London, Ont., the University of Western Ontario held a Wednesday night vigil for four graduate students who lost their lives in the plane crash:
Milad Nahavandi, a PhD candidate in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering; Hadis Hayatdavoudi, a PhD candidate in Chemistry and Sajedeh Sareian, an incoming Masters student in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, and Ghazal Nourian, a PhD candidate in Mechanial and Materials Engineering. Nourian had previously been identified by Alberta Minister of Advanced Education Demetrios Nicolaides as a member of the University of Alberta community.
University president Alan Shepard called the deaths “devastating.”
“It’s just hearbreaking and difficult to comprehend,” Shepard told the Western News. According to the university’s paper, all four were international students.
Hayatdavoudi was studying the effects of hydrogen on copper at the Electrochemistry and Corrosion Science Centre. Its goal is to examine how corrosion affects nuclear waste containers. Her supervisor, Jamie Noel, said Hayatdavoudi had spent a month in Iran with her family — her first time back home since she moved to Canada on her own in September 2018. He said she was on the flight so she could be back in Canada in time to act as a teaching assistant for one of his courses.
“She found Canadians were very welcoming to her, coming from so far away, all by herself, a single woman in a strange country, with a different language,” said Noel, who noted that she quickly found community with other Persian students in his lab. University of Ottawa students Alma Oladi , Mehraban Badiei and Saeed Kashani At the University of Ottawa, a professor of international affairs shared his condolences in a Twitter post for three students, Alma Oladi, Mehraban Badiei and Saeed Kashani, who died in the crash.
“Deepest condolences to the families of three uOttawa students … and to all the other grieving families,” Roland Paris posted.
The university school paper featured Badiei, a first-year health sciences student who said her goals for 2020 were to meet new people and make new friends.
“Since the publication of this article on Tuesday, January 7, 2020, we were saddened to learn that Mehraban was a victim in the tragic Flight PS752 accident in Iran. We offer our sympathy and condolences to her family and friends,” the updated article read. Saint Mary’s University students Maryam Malek and Fatemeh Mahmoodi The Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association in Halifax expressed their condolences late Wednesday night for the loss of two students, Maryam Malek and Fatemeh Mahmoodi, who were studying for a master’s degree in finance.
“We would like to express our thoughts to the families, friends, and colleagues,” the association wrote in a statement. “If you or anyone else you know have been impacted by this tragedy, we encourage you to reach out for support....” University of Victoria student Roja Omidbakhsh The University of Victoria confirmed that Roja Omidbakhsh, a first-year student, died in the plane crash.
“It is always a profound loss for the entire community when we lose someone, and our hearts and thoughts go out to Roja’s loved ones,” university president Jamie Cassels wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Omidbakhsh was a “very positive” student, professor Mark Colgate said.
“She was on the pathway to complete a bachelor of commerce … we’re heartbroken that this happened and our condolences go to her family and classmates.” University of Toronto students Mohammad Amin Beiruti and Mohammad Saleheh The University of Toronto confirmed that two more of its students were killed in the crash in a Wednesday press release: Mohammad Amin Beiruti and Mohammad Saleheh. The four others who were previously identified include Mojtaba Abbasnezhad, Mohammad Asadi Lari, Zeynab Asadi Lari and Mohammad Amin Jebelli.
“On behalf of the entire University of Toronto community, I want to say how deeply saddened we are, and how concerned we are for the families and friends of those who lost their lives,” U of T president Meric Gertler said in a statement. “We are continuing to gather information, and taking care to respect the privacy and wishes of all involved.” Amir Ovaysi, Asal Ovaysi and Sara Hamzeei, GTA Amir Ovaysi, 42, is remembered as a proud family man who would often show his colleagues videos and photos of his six-year-old daughter, Asal, and his wife, Sara Hamzeei, 34.
His manager, Troy Futher, says the three were in Iran to visit Ovaysi’s aging parents. Ovaysi left in mid-December, joining his wife and daughter, who had arrived in November. It was their first visit home since they came to Canada about two years ago.
Futher said he hired Ovaysi at his heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company, Smith Energy Inc., in June. Ovaysi had a master’s degree in mechanical engineering. He worked out of the company’s Mississauga, Ont., office, but had a house in Newmarket, Ont.
“He was genuine. He was a super person — a brilliant mind, an astute student,” said Futher, who added it was heartbreaking to have to inform staff that Ovaysi and his family were on board the flight.
“A lot of the employees took it extremely hard,” he said. “It’s been a sombre day, a very difficult day.” Nasim Rahmanifar, Edmonton Nasim Rahmanifar, a master’s student in the University of Alberta’s mechanical engineering department, was nervous about her first winter in Edmonton.
“She was so excited to go back … she planned to surprise her mom,” her friend Sina Esfandiarpour told Edmonton media at a news conference.
He said he received a text from Rahmanifar from the airport that she was on her way back and she wasn’t looking forward to the cold weather.
“She was afraid,” said Esfandiarpour. “She just came in May and she said, ‘They told me it was just freezing cold.’ “She is never going to see that.” Ramin Fathian, Rahmanifar’s officemate, said she was really worried about the weather in Edmonton.
“She was asking me all the time, ‘What is the best jacket?’ ” he recalled. “We were saying it’s not that bad. You will get used to it.”
One of her supervisors, Prof. Hossein Rouhani, said Rahmanifar was a highly motivated, hard-working student who had recently earned a scholarship.
“She was an outstanding student,” said Rouhani, who added Rahmanifar planned to complete a PhD when she returned to Canada. Roja Azadian, Ottawa Roja Azadian was supposed to travel to Canada for the first time with her husband, who has been studying at Algonquin College in Ottawa, but a mix-up over his ticket meant he could not get on the plane with her.
“He was thinking, I’m going to send her and then I’m going to be back on the next flight,” said Leila Hojabri, a friend of Azadian’s husband.
He called a friend in Ottawa, asking if he could pick Azadian up at the airport and ensure she was safe. Instead, her husband remains safe in Iran and she died aboard Ukraine International Airlines flight PS 752.
“She wasn’t sure if she should come to Canada and he was just building here and getting ready for her to join him and it’s just a really, really tragic story,” Hojabri said.