A B.C. family travelled to the site of the Ethiopian Airlines crash to lay a loved one to rest in the only way they knew how.
Chunming (Jack) Wang, 47, was among the 157 people who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10.
Wang, who was the owner of Big O Tires in Vernon, was travelling to Africa to complete some final paperwork so his family could become permanent residents of Canada.
He was travelling from Vancouver to Kenya with a connection in Ethiopia. The plane crashed into a field just minutes after takeoff, killing everyone on board.
“He did everything he could for our family,” his wife told Global News. “He wanted our girls to get a good education.”
WATCH: B.C. family left in limbo after death of husband in Ethiopian Airlines crash
Wang’s wife, daughter and extended family travelled to Ethiopia to collect his body, but it could be months before the remains are identified.
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“We’re here to bring something back, but the belongings they didn’t give us this time,” his daughter, Allison Wang, said.
The only thing Ethiopian officials could offer the family was some charred soil from the crash site.
WATCH: Okanagan business owner among those who perished in Ethiopian plane crash
According to Chinese tradition, a person’s soul will pass onto the next world seven days after death.
With no body to bury, the family built an effigy consisting of his clothes and favourite foods.
Allison says her father loved to cook.
“He’s a perfect dad,” she said. “He cooked everything for me. I miss every dish he cooked for me.”
As the family mourned, locals tried to provide comfort.
“Since we saw the plane crash last week, the families have been coming,” one villager told Global News. “We’ve been crying with them every day.”
Allison says she plans to honour her father by building a life in Canada.
“That is his last wish,” she said.
—With files from Doyle Potenteau
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