Five countries whose citizens died when Iran shot down an airliner last week said on Thursday that Tehran should pay compensation to families of the victims.

The foreign ministers of Canada, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan and Britain said Iran should hold a “thorough, independent and transparent international investigation open to grieving nations,” in a statement issued after a meeting of officials in London.

The countries said they welcomed Iran’s engagement to date.

All 176 people aboard the Ukraine International Airlines plane died when it was hit by missiles last week shortly after taking off from Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport.

Some 57 of the victims were Canadian citizens and 138 were flying to Canada. The dead also included 11 Ukrainians, 17 people from Sweden, four Afghans and four British citizens, as well as Iranians.

Source » alarabiya