Canada Expects To Receive First Remains Of Iran Crash Victims In Coming Days - Trudeau

TORONTO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th January, 2020) The repatriation of the remains of the Ukrainian jet crash victims will begin in the coming days, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at a press conference on Friday.

"No there have not been any Canadians returned to Canada at this point, but we are expecting the first ones to come back in the coming days," Trudeau said.

Trudeau said that his government is undertaking a number of steps in assisting the families of the victims, including a $19,000 payment to each of the families' affected, legal counsel, and coordinating with Air Canada and their partner Qatar Airways to facilitate travel to Iran.

The prime minister added that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will be waiving or refunding visa fees and streamlining the visa application process for affected families traveling to Canada.

Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif informed his Ukrainian counterpart Vadym Prystaiko in phone talks that Tehran was ready to hand over the bodies of Ukrainians who died in the Ukrainian Boeing passenger plane to Kiev.