The PS752 site crash / REUTERS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday his government will give Canadian $25,000 (US$19,122) to the families of each of the 57 citizens and 29 permanent residents of Canada who died in the downing of a Ukrainian jetliner in Iran last week.

Trudeau said he still expects Iran to compensate the families but added that they need help now for funerals, travel to Iran and bills, the Associated Press reported.

Read alsoUkrainian experts on PS752 crash site were first ones to find out about missile hit

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He said any money Iran provides at a later date will go straight to the families and will not be reimbursed to the Canadian government.

"I want to be clear, we expect Iran to compensate these families," Trudeau said. "But I have met them. They can't wait weeks. They need support now."

As UNIAN reported earlier, Kyiv-bound UIA flight PS752 crashed shortly after takeoff from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport in the early hours of Wednesday, January 8. It was carrying 167 passengers and nine crew members on board. Two passengers and the crew members were Ukrainians. There were also 82 citizens of Iran, 63 citizens of Canada, 10 citizens of Sweden, four citizens of Afghanistan, three citizens of Germany and the United Kingdom each. There were no survivors.

On January 11, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani officially admitted that the Ukrainian airliner had been shot down by accident as a result of a "human error."