The colleagues of An Wu, an American academic who came to attend a conference in Montreal, find it hard to believe that the “brilliant and dynamic” thirty-year-old disappeared in the fatal fire that occurred last Thursday in Old Montreal. The family of the young woman wonders about the causes of this tragedy, says a close friend.
M’s friendsme Wu had been without news since Thursday, reports Enida Gjoni, a colleague at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The two postdocs had been working together on a daily basis since 2018. The loss of An Wu leaves a huge void as her loved ones fear that she is among the missing, she says of the 31-year-old researcher, who immigrated from China to the United States to continue his studies. “She is a brilliant, intelligent woman. But it is also dynamic and human. »
The two friends traveled from San Diego to COSYNE, a popular neuroscience conference held in Montreal and Mont-Tremblant from March 9-14.
The workshops organized in the metropolis took place at the Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth hotel and ended on Tuesday. Mme Gjoni left Quebec the next day. An Wu’s return flight was scheduled for Thursday. She therefore rented accommodation for one night through the Airbnb platform, relates her colleague.
An Wu’s friends had no news last weekend. His family, consumed by worry, contacted the local police. “She responds to her texts in two seconds. It was unusual. »
Since An Wu’s family is in China, Ms.me Wu in San Diego went looking for him. They found his apartment empty. They notified the border authorities of his disappearance. They were informed that she never crossed the border. “We didn’t know what was going on,” she continues.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY A COLLEAGUE OF AN WU
An Wu
The person in charge of the rental reported An Wu’s disappearance to the authorities the night of the tragedy, she said. “They then contacted the emergency contact person. That’s how we found out. »
The last messages sent by An Wu to his relatives date from Thursday around 2 a.m. She would therefore not have come out, believes Mme Gjoni. “She liked the apartment, she didn’t mention to anyone that something was wrong inside. To his knowledge, Mr.me Wu was staying in the apartment alone.
An Wu’s parents deserve to know what happened to their daughter, believes her colleague, in contact with the young woman’s family in China. They cannot travel to Canada since they do not have a visa. “Nothing is going to bring An back to them. But we hope for answers from the police, the government and the owner. »
With Lea Carrier, The Press