Service draws hundreds in memory of plane crash victims

Picture of beloved people who lost their lives in plane crash

Hundreds of mourners filled Alumni Auditorium for a service Friday commemorating five members of the UWindsor community who died in the Jan. 8 crash of Ukrainian International Airlines’ Flight PS752.

University officials, faculty, staff, and students were joined by elected representatives of the municipal, provincial, and federal governments, as well as hundreds of family members and friends who watched a webcast of the ceremonies.

“Our hearts break today for all the families that have lost loved ones,” said UWindsor president Robert Gordon. “We mourn as the world mourns with us at the loss of promise and possibility.”

He noted that the victims — biology research assistant Samira Bashiri, engineering doctoral candidates Hamidreza Setareh Kokab, Pedram Jadidi, and Zahra Naghibi, and her spouse Mohammad Abbaspour Ghadi — had “unlimited” potential to add to human discovery.

The service featured emotional addresses by some who knew them best: their faculty advisors and close friends. A photographic slideshow captured moments from their lives. Watch it now.