People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 10, 2019.
KUALA LUMPUR, March 11 (NNN) — There were passengers from at least 35 countries on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET302 that crashed near Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing 149 passengers and eight crew members.
Confirming this at a press conference in Addis Ababa Sunday, Kenya’s Transport Minister James Macharia said there were 32 Kenyans on board, 18 Canadians, eight Chinese nationals and five Dutch passengers. Other nationals were six from Egypt, nine from Ethiopia, seven each from France and UK, four from India, eight from Italy, four from Slovakia and eight from the US. The nationality of two other passengers could not be ascertained.
The passenger jet, which crashed minutes after take off, was en route to Nairobi from Addis Ababa and was reported to have had on board passengers who were headed for a United Nations Environment conference in Nairobi.
Meanwhile in reply to a query from Bernama International News Service, Communication Officer with UN Environment, Shari Nijman, said that UN Environment was deeply saddened by the news of the Ethiopian Airlines accident.
“We are following developments closely,” UN Environment said in an official statement issued on Sunday.
Shari Nijman also said the UN body was liaising with officials on who may have been on the plane.
Boeing 737 MAX safety record questioned after two tragedies
For the second time in less than six months, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 has crashed minutes after takeoff and killed everyone on board, raising fresh questions about the safety of a model that is crucial to the US giant’s future plans.
On Sunday (Mar 10), the 157 passengers and crew members of a 737 MAX operated by Ethiopian Airlines were killed. It was the same model as the plane that crashed in Indonesia in October, claiming the lives of the 189 people it carried.
Only the flight data and cockpit conversation contained in the aircraft’s two black boxes can provide tangible evidence of what may have caused the latest accident – technical problems, pilot error or a combination of factors.
“The pilot mentioned that he had difficulties and he wants to return. He was given clearance” to turn around,” Ethiopian Airlines chief executive Tewolde GebreMariam told reporters in Addis Ababa.
Weather conditions were good in the Ethiopian capital at the time of the flight
