Tri-City residents were shocked to learn that a Port Coquitlam family of three were among those killed when a Ukrainian Airlines flight crashed shortly after takeoff from Iran's Tehran Imam Khomeini International Airport last week.
Ardalan Ebnoddin-Hamidi, his wife, Niloofar Razzaghi, and their 15-year-old son, Kamyar Ebnoddin-Hamidi were remembered fondly by work colleagues and local civic leaders for their volunteerism and community activity.
A celebration of life is scheduled for today (Jan. 12) between 3 and 6 p.m. in the second-floor party room at 1185 High Street, Coquitlam and open to everyone. For more information, call Bahzad Abdi at 604-600-1144 or Kamal at 604-710-5234.
Here are some of the stories that The Tri-City News followed in the wake Tuesday's tragic crash.
• 'She was very happy before she went to Iran': Port Coquitlam family remembered
Friends and family were devastated when they learned that the three PoCo residents were among the 176 people on Flight 752, including 63 Canadians and 138 in total who were travelling to Canada. "He was my closest friend," said Mahmoudreza Mivehchi, Ebnoddin-Hamidi's brother-in-law. “Its a huge catastrophe for my family. We’re in shock.”
• Ebnoddin-Hamidi supported many young engineers, say colleagues
Engineering colleagues talk about the role Ardalan Ebnoddin-Hamidi played in shaping their careers and the work he did on many Metro Vancouver infrastructure projects, including the Evergreen Extension. "I was just out of school and he helped me a lot along the way," said Queenie Wong, an assistant utilities engineer with the city of Delta.
• Riverside secondary mourning Port Coquitlam teen killed in Tehran plane crash
Kamyar Ebnoddin-Hamidi, 15, was a Riverside secondary French Immersion student and avid soccer player. School District 43 offered its condolences to the family and made grief counselling available to students and staff.
• Plane crash: Coquitlam soccer teams to hold minute of silence for PoCo family that died in Tehran
Kamyar Hamidi played on Coquitlam Metro Ford Soccer Club's U16 boys' Div. 3 team and his father was as an assistant coach with the team. This weekend, all of CMFSC's home games were to include a minute of silence to allow “for a period of silent contemplation, reflection, and prayer, and is a gesture of respect for the loss of the family,” according to a letter from the club sent to parents.
• Intelligence says Iranian missile downed airliner, perhaps by mistake: Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau weighed in on the tragedy, saying multiple sources had indicated the airliner may have been unintentionally brought down by an Iranian missile.
