Ethiopian Airlines says it believes 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board a plane that crashed six minutes after taking off from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on a flight to Nairobi.
In the latest update, Ethiopian state media reported that all 149 passengers and eight crew on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight died when it crashed shortly after takeoff.
Quoting Ethiopian Airlines, Fana Broadcasting Corporate said the plane, which departed the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa at 08:38, crashed minutes after takeoff, “killing all the 149 passengers and eight crew aboard”.
A spokesperson for Ethiopian Airlines says that among the dead in the crash are 32 Kenyans and 17 Ethiopians. Asrat Begashaw said that 31 other nationalities were also among those on board the new Boeing 737-8 MAX plane that crashed, killing everyone thought to be on board.
Authorities said other victims include 18 Canadians; eight each from China, the United States and Italy; seven each from France and Britain; six from Egypt; five from the Netherlands and four each from India and Slovakia. Spain’s foreign ministry said two Spanish nationals were on the passenger list.
Records show that the Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane that crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday morning was a new one. The Planespotters civil aviation database shows that the plane, a Boeing 737-8 MAX, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in mid-November.
Meanwhile, Ghana President Akufo-Addo in a series of tweets has offered his condolence to Ethiopia and families of the deceased Akufo-Addo said he was “saddened” by the news of the tragic loss of 157 lives.25
Source: yen.com.gh
