OTTAWA—A Ukrainian jet that crashed in Iran killing more than 100 passengers headed for Canada was “likely” downed by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, a shocking development that is fuelling international calls for a transparent investigation.

“The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile. This may well have been unintentional,” Trudeau said Thursday.

“It is now more important than ever that we know exactly how such a tragedy could have happened. The families of the victims and all Canadians want answers. I want answers,” Trudeau said.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada confirmed later Thursday that it had accepted an invitation by Iran’s accident investigation branch to attend the crash scene. “We are making arrangements to travel to the site. The board will be working with other groups and organizations already on site,” the safety board said in a statement.

At a news conference in Ottawa, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to discuss the ongoing investigation into the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines passenger aircraft in Tehran, Iran. Sixty-three Canadians were among the 176 people killed in the crash.

All 176 people on board Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, a Boeing 737-800 NG bound for Kyiv, were killed, including 63 Canadians, among the 138 passengers headed to Canada.

The crash came just hours after Iran had fired missiles at two Iraqi military bases housing U.S. and coalition troops and it’s certain Iranian forces would have been on high alert for any military response by the Americans.

The prime minister said intelligence from “multiple sources,” including allies and Canada’s own data, came through Wednesday night and into Thursday. He declined to disclose more details but said the “preliminary conclusions … are clear enough for me to share them with Canadians right now.”

Iran later called on Canada to share that information with its investigators, according to a Reuters report.

The New York Times said it had verified video that appears to show a missile streaking skyward and striking a plane in the skies over Tehran.

Dominic Raab, the U.K. secretary of state, says his country agrees with Canada’s assessment of a missile strike, and that it may have been unintentional. “The Iranian regime must open up to the international community, including by allowing access to the crash site so we can get the truth as quickly as possible,” Raab said during a meeting in Montreal with Foreign Affairs Minister François-Philippe Champagne.

Trudeau said it was too soon to discuss Canada’s response, saying such decisions had to await the results of the investigation. “I think anything in the range of responses would need to start from a clear understanding and a credible confirmation of what actually happened,” he said.

He also sidestepped answering whether Washington shared any responsibility in the crash, given that it was the U.S. airstrike last week that killed a prominent general that set in motion Iran’s retaliatory missile strikes on Iraqi sites and the resulting heightened tensions. “I think it is too soon to be drawing conclusions or assigning blame or responsibility in whatever proportions,” he said.

With heartbreaking vigils being held across the country for the victims, Trudeau — who attended one vigil on Parliament Hill Thursday evening — acknowledged that the disturbing development would only add to the anguish.

“The news will undoubtedly come as a further shock to the families that are already grieving,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau made the announcement after U.S. officials in Washington said it was “highly likely” that a missile downed the plane, backed by President Donald Trump, who raised doubts that the crash was caused by a mechanical problem.

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“Someone could have made a mistake on the other side … it has nothing to do with us,” Trump said Thursday morning. “It was flying in a pretty rough neighbourhood and somebody could have made a mistake.

“Some people say it was mechanical. I personally don’t think that’s even a question,” he said.

Ukraine’s national security and defence council chief, Oleksiy Danilov, said several scenarios were being considered, including the possibility that the plane was struck by an anti-aircraft missile. Other theories include a collision with a drone “or other flying object,” an explosive failure of an engine and an explosion inside the plane “as a result of terrorist act,” Danilov said in a Facebook post.

If verified, Flight 752 would join a tragic list of other commercial flights that have been shot down, including Korean Air Lines Flight 007 by a Soviet fighter in 1983; the downing of an Iran Air flight in 1988 by a U.S. guided missile cruiser; and a Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777 struck by a Russian missile in Ukrainian airspace in 2014.

Indeed, Trudeau said Thursday he had reached to Mark Rutte, the prime minister of the Netherlands, for advice on handling the aftermath and investigation. The Netherlands led the investigation into the Malaysian crash that killed 196 Dutch citizens.

Trudeau spoke as well with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who said that the Iranians intended to keep the jet’s black boxes — containing a potential treasure trove of data — but would provide access to Ukrainian investigators.

According to a preliminary report issued by Iranian civil aviation officials Thursday, the Ukrainian plane was on fire and appeared to be turning back to the airport before it hit the ground. The pilots made no distress call before Iranian air traffic controllers lost contact while the plane was still in the air, the report stated.

“According to witnesses … a fire appeared on the aircraft which was intensifying, then impacted the ground causing an explosion,” the Iranian report said.

The jet was initially headed west “but turned right following a technical report and had a track showing returning to the airport,” the report said. Yet that change in track could have been because the pilots were having trouble controlling the aircraft after the missile strike.

Canada has had no formal diplomatic ties with Iran since 2012, complicating the response to this week’s air disaster.

Champagne spoke with Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran, Wednesday night seeking Canadian participation in the investigation. Champagne said Iran’s foreign minister demonstrated “an openness” for Canada to assist with the crash investigation.

A Canadian consular team was headed to Turkey and efforts were underway to arrange visas to allow them to enter Iran to assist with the investigation and the repatriation of the bodies of the Canadian victims.

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