Reza Akbari, president of the Iranian Heritage Society of Edmonton gives his condolences to families impacted by the plane crash in Iran. He says the community is shocked by the loss of 176 people, including 30 from Edmonton. 
He says they are planning a vigil/community gathering for Friday. They are working with the Iranian Students Society of Alberta and with university administration. More details to come.
He says the Iranian community was very close. There are about 5,000 Iranian Canadians in Edmonton, more than 6,000 if you include international students, Akbari says. People kept in touch via the Telegram app.
Maryam Hajazi runs a girls soccer coaching program in Edmonton with her husband. She coached nine-year-old Dorina Mousavi, who died in the Iran crash. She remembers her as fiercely intelligent. She says her heart dropped at the news.
“I’m expecting her to come to the class. In my head I’m constantly seeing her, running around, asking me questions ... I can’t get her out of my head,” Hajazi says.
Hossein, who worked for plane crash victim and engineering professor Pedram Mousavi for six years at the UofA, said Mousavi was well known in his field, has worked on countless papers and was well regarded by his peers.
He says Mousavi, who travelled to Iran with his died in the crash along with his wife Mojgan Daneshmand (also a professor at UOfA) was always looking for ways to give back to the university. Their kids were their life, he said.
We are hearing from friends and classmates of Pouneh and Arash Pourzarabi, two 25-year-old UOfA students in Edmonton were recently got married and who died in the Iran plane crash. I’ll have more about how this is affecting the Edmonton Iranian community to come
Here is @kieranleavitt and I’s file from today thestar.com/content/thesta…
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