Canada among five countries calling on Iran to compensate families for plane crash

Foreign affairs ministers of the five countries affected by Iran's downing of Ukrainian flight 752 met in London, England, to discuss steps the Iranian government should take to remedy the tragic incident.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, joined by Sweden's Foreign Minister Ann Linde, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko, Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Idrees Zaman and British MP Andrew Murrison

The meeting began with a candlelight vigil and a moment of silence for the 176 people on-board the Ukrainian bound flight. The plane was shot down last Wednesday, by a surface-to-air missile, just moments after takeoff.

Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe leads candlelight vigil at the High Commission of Canada in London, England

Iran says the shooting was accidental and was a tragedy birthed by American hostility in the region--specifically the assassination of Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani.

Iran was under high-security alert during the night of the plane crash. Hours before the incident, Iran launched several ballistic missiles at a U.S base in Iraq--as retaliation to the assassination of major general Soleimani.

All five foreign minister's, including Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, called on Iran's government to identify the victims of the plane crash with "dignity and transparency while respecting the wishes of families regarding repatriation," adding "the eyes of the international community are on Iran today. I think that Iran has a choice, and the world is watching."

A majority of the victims were headed to Canada to reunite with their families following the long Christmas break, others were international students heading back to complete their studies.

Iran is yet to respond to Canada's latest demands.

By: Niza Nondo