UPDATED: Jan 23, 2024 20:48 IST
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau remembered the victims of air disasters, including those of the Air India Flight 182, which was blown-off mid-air in 1985, as the country marked the national day for remembrance of air disaster victims.
Air India (Kanishka) Flight 182, bound for London after picking up passengers in Toronto and Montreal, disappeared from radar off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985. A bomb – planted on the plane in Canada in an act of terror – exploded on board, killing all 329 people on board, including 280 Canadians.
In a statement issued on National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Air Disasters, Trudeau said, “We solemnly remember the victims of all air disasters, including Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 (Flight PS752), Air Ontario Flight 1363, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, and Air India Flight 182.”
“As we pay tribute to the victims of air disasters, we offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends who have lost loved ones,” he said, adding that the country will continue to work with its partners to create a “safer, more peaceful world, where everyone can travel in security.”
Announcing that Canada’s next step for the downing of Flight PS752 by Iran in 2020 would be jointly filing its case before the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council, the prime minister said, “We are taking concrete action, along with our international partners, to hold Iran accountable for this senseless tragedy.”
He said that Canada continues to fight for “justice and accountability” for the families of the 176 people killed in the downing as “members of the International Coordination and Response Group for the victims of Flight PS752.”
“We stand in solidarity with Canadians at home and around the world who have lost loved ones to these tragedies,” he said.
Asserting that Canada continues to stand with and support the families and loved ones affected by air disasters, Trudeau said, “Through the Commemorative Scholarship Programme launched last October, we will disburse 176 scholarships over five years to honour the memory of victims of Flight PS752. This year, we will award 32 scholarships, including six to candidates with close family ties to the victims of Flight PS752.”