A Toronto man, Medhat Tanious, has been identified as the second Canadian killed when EgyptAir flight MS804 crashed while heading from Paris to Cairo last week.
“It is with great sadness that we inform you of the departure of Mr. Medhat Tanious on May 19th 2016,” the Coptic Orthodox church said in a Facebook post commemorating victims of the crash. “Our prayers are with the all the families affected by the tragedy of Egypt Air flight MS804.”
According to multiple media reports a funeral for Tanious took place Monday at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral in Markham, Ont. The church said he left behind a wife, and three daughters.
His daughter Merna said her father had flown to France to surprise his youngest sister. He was en route to Cairo to visits his in-laws at the time of the crash, she added.
“He had a heart of a child,” Merna Tanious told the Canadian Press. “He loved unconditionally, and he had an unbelievable ability to forgive all people that did him wrong.”
Medhat lived most of his life in Egypt, his daughter said. He married his wife in 1988 and the couple began raising their three girls there before immigrating to Canada in 2004.
“He brought us here to try and give us the best life possible, and that’s what he did every single day,” she said.
Last week, EgyptAir confirmed that another Canadian, Marwa Hamdy, was one of 66 people aboard the Paris to Cairo flight that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in the early hours of May 19.
WATCH: New audio released from on board crashed flight
“On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims,” Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion wrote in a statement Friday.
Hamdy was born and raised in Saskatoon but moved to Egypt several years ago. Friends and family who knew and worked with her took to Facebook to mourn their loss.
“It’s with a sad heart I announce the death of my dear friend Marwa Hamdy who was on the Egyptair flight,” Haleh Banai wrote. “She was an optimistic, kind and helpful person with a loving heart. I will miss our time together!”
READ MORE: Human remains reveal explosion on board, official says
Egyptian officials said Tuesday that human remains retrieved from the crash site suggest there was an explosion on board that may have brought down the aircraft.
Authorities have pointed to terrorism as a more likely cause of the crash than equipment failure, and some aviation experts have said the erratic flight reported by the Greek defence minister suggests a bomb blast or a struggle in the cockpit.
*With files from the Canadian Press and Associated Press
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