THUNDER BAY - As investigators continue to search for answers in the downing of Ukraine International Airlines Flight PS752 in Iran earlier this month, an Iranian student who was in the country at the time, said he can still feel the sadness of an entire nation.
“It was one of the saddest moments I’ve ever had in my life,” said Masoud Manzouri, who is the president of the Lakehead University Student Union. “You could tell people were sad, the whole country. For me it was a nightmare. I still can’t believe that it happened and I feel so sorry for the families of the victims that they lost their loves, their families in that accident.”
Manzouri, who is from Iran, was in the country on Jan. 8 when the Boeing 737 was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired by Iran shortly after takeoff from the Tehran International Airport, killing all 176 passengers on board, including 57 Canadian citizens.
Being in the same place of such a tragedy makes it feel much different than if you were watching it on the news or in the media, Manzouri said.
“When you are there you can feel the emotions, feel how sad people are,” he said. “When you are far away, accidents happen all over the world, so you can read the news, but you cannot understand or feel as deep as people are as they feel it.”
Manzouri said he is still trying to cope with what happened and he said for many people, it can be difficult to fully understand the situation because media all over the world takes different angles.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find the right angle or proper angle, because each media tried to cover it based on what they understand on the situation,” he said. “What usually I do is wait a little bit after the event happens to get a better understanding of what was actually happening.”
The downing of Flight 752 came amidst heightened tension in the region between the United States and Iran.
But Manzouri said it is good news to hear that tensions in the region have since settled down a little.
“It’s great news for people,” he said. “That is what I’m concerned about it, is the people. Hopefully the investigations get all the information people need to know about what actually happened during those moments. I’m looking forward to it.”
Vigils have been held across the country, including at the Lakehead and Orillia campuses, which Manzouri said really showed solidarity for the victims and their families.
“As an Iranian individual, I really appreciate that on behalf of the Iranian community in Thunder Bay,” he said.
