Twenty minutes before the plane took off from the Iranian capital, Sheyda Shadkhoo called her husband from aboard the flight. She wanted him to reassure her that everything would be fine, he said.
Iranian state media earlier blamed technical issues on the crash and Ukraine ruled out rocket attacks, but officials in both countries have since walked back their statements and are now refusing to speculate on the cause. Questions are swirling over the timing of the incident, which came just hours after Iran fired a number of missiles at two Iraqi bases housing US troops.
Eighty-two Iranians, 63 Canadians, and 11 Ukrainians died onboard flight PS752, according to a tweet from Ukrainian foreign minister Vadym Prystaiko. There were also 10 Swedes, four Afghans, three Germans and three British nationals among the victims, he said.
The Boeing 737 jet operated by Ukraine International Airlines took off early Wednesday en route to the Ukrainian capital Kiev, carrying 167 passengers and nine crew before crashing between the cities of Parand and Shahriar. Witnesses described seeing a fireball in the sky and images of the wreckage show charred parts of the plane strewn over a field.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said 138 of the passengers were supposed to catch a connecting flight to Canada. That flight landed in Toronto Wednesday afternoon with many seats empty.