NC State graduate among those killed when Ukrainian plane shot down in Iran

An NC State graduate was among the 176 passengers and crew killed on Wednesday, Jan. 8 when Iran claimed it accidentally shot down a Ukranian jetliner in Tehran, the university said.

On Friday, NC State University announced Bahareh Karami, 33, was aboard Boeing 737, traveling to her home in Newmarket, Ontario, after visiting her family in Iran.

During Karami's time at NC State, she volunteered as a research assistant on two water treatment projects and joined the nonprofit North Carolina Section of the American Water Work Association and the North Carolina Member Association of the Water Environment Federation, the school wrote.

After graduation, she later worked as a design technologist with the Regional Municipality of York.

BarrieToday, an Ontario news provider, reported the Regional Municipality of York, where she lived, will lower flags at half-mast until her funeral in Tehran is held.

"We are so shocked and extremely saddened by this tragedy," York Region Chairman and CEO Wayne Emmerson told BarrieToday. "Our prayers are with Bahareh's family, friends and colleagues, and for everyone that may be impacted in any way by this horrific event."

On Saturday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed it 'unintentionally' shot down the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed earlier this week after the government repeatedly denied Western accusations and mounting evidence that it was responsible..