An Ottawa man was among those killed in last week’s funicular crash in Lisbon, CBC has learned.
Aziz Benharref, who lived in Ottawa’s Orléans neighbourhood, was on vacation in Portugal with his wife, Hind Iguernane, when the derailment happened, according to family and friends. He was 42.
Benharref lived in Ottawa for six years with his wife and brother-in-law and worked for a tech company, longtime friend Ayoub Sajjaa told CBC.
Sajjaa, who also lives in Ottawa, said he’s known Benharref for 20 years. They first met at university in Morocco.
“For me, he was more than a brother,” Sajjaa said. “He was the one actually who convinced me to come to Canada.”
Benharref’s brother, who lives in Montreal, is in Portugal to meet with the Canadian embassy there, Sajjaa added.
Sajjaa said trying to find information about Benharref after the crash was difficult.
“We’re just going through the dark, not knowing nothing at all,” he said.
Wife recovering in hospital
Youness Iguernane — the brother of Benharref’s wife, Hind Iguernane — said his sister is recovering in hospital in Portugal. A GoFundMe fundraising page says she suffered multiple serious injuries.
Sirene Hachache, Benharref’s neighbour, said Benharref became a Canadian citizen in the last year or two and that she and Benharref grew close during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“He considered us like family,” Hachache said. “He considered my mom like his mom…. We just kind of became like a big family.
Hachache said learning about Benharref’s death last week has left her “heartbroken.”
“We wake up in the morning and we just wonder if it was a nightmare or if it really happened,” she said.
Global Affairs Canada has said it is aware of the death of two Canadian citizens in the crash. The department would not confirm the victims’ identities but extended its condolences to the families.
A couple from Quebec had been identified earlier as among the 16 people killed in the accident.
