The Transportation Safety Board says it has received the final report into events surrounding a passenger jet shot down by the Iranian military in January 2020.
The investigation by Iranian air safety officials examined what happened when Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 crashed shortly after taking off from Tehran.
The crash killed all 176 people on board, including 55 Canadian citizens, 30 permanent residents and dozens of others bound for Canada.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shot down the Kyiv-bound Boeing 737-800 on Jan. 8 of last year, several days after then-U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a strike that killed a top Iranian general.
Iran initially denied downing the plane, then said it was shot down by accident after being mistaken for a missile.
READ MORE: 1 year later: Remembering the B.C. victims of Flight PS752
The safety board is slated to hold a news conference to comment on the report Thursday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has urged Iran to provide justice and transparency to the victims and their families.
In December, Iran pledged to pay $150,000 to each family that lost someone on the plane, but the offer was rejected by Ralph Goodale, the former Liberal public safety minister who was named Canada’s special adviser on the response to the crash.
He said Iran doesn’t have the right to offer compensation to victims’ families unilaterally and that the final amount will be subject to negotiations between Iran and Canada and the four other countries whose citizens were killed on the plane.
Trudeau has promised Canada will offer a pathway to permanent residency for some family members, while those already here could apply to stay if needed. He also designated Jan. 8 as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters.
The federal government also said scholarships would be set up in memory of the victims.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17, 2021.
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