REVIEW - Almost 160 People Killed In Boeing 737 Crash In Central Ethiopia

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th March, 2019) As many as 157 people, including 149 passengers from 35 countries and eight crew members, were killed in a crash of the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302 that occurred early on Sunday in central Ethiopia.

The air traffic control lost contact with the Nairobi-bound plane six minutes after it took off from the Ethiopian capital at 05:38 GMT. The Boeing crashed in the vicinity of the town of Bishoftu, some 30 miles to the southeast of Addis Ababa.

The pilot of the plane reported problems after departing from the Ethiopian capital and asked for permission to return to Addis Ababa, the state-owned airline's CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam, said.

"From the air traffic controllers' record, the pilot mentioned that he had difficulty and wants to return, so he was given clearance [to get back to] Addis," GebreMariam said at a press conference.

According to GebreMariam, the plane was "well-maintained" and routine maintenance checks did not reveal any problems.

The CEO added that the aircraft had spent around three hours in Addis Ababa after arriving from South Africa's Johannesburg on Sunday morning and before departing for Nairobi, meaning that there was enough tome to carry out all necessary technical examination.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO said that there were 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, nine Ethiopians, eight citizens each from Italy, China and the United States, as well as three Russians among the victims of the Sunday crash.

"The list of the passengers: 32 passengers are Kenyan nationals, 18 passengers are Canadian citizens, nine passengers are Ethiopian citizens, eight passengers are Italian citizens, eight passengers are Chinese citizens, and there were eight American citizens, seven British citizens, seven French citizens," GebreMariam said.

The list of the victims also includes six Egyptians; five Germans; four Indian citizens; four Slovakian citizens; three Austrians; three Russian citizens; three Swedish citizens; two Moroccan citizens; two Spanish citizens; two Polish citizens; two Israeli citizens; and a UN passport holder, according to an updated statement, issued by the airline.

A Belgian, an Indonesian, a Ugandan, a Yemeni citizen, a Sudanese, one Serbian, a Togolese, a Mozambican, a Rwandan, a Somalian, a Norwegian, an Irish, a Saudi, a Nepalese, a Nigerian and a Djiboutian were also onboard, the statement added.

The staff of the UN World food Program (WFP) were aboard the crashed Ethiopian Airlines flight, WFP Executive Director David Beasley said.

"The WFP family mourns today -- @WFP staff were among those aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight. We will do all that is humanly possible to help the families at this painful time. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers," Beasley wrote on Twitter.

Deputy leader of the Slovak National Party, Anton Hrnko, said that his wife and children had been killed in the crash.

"With deep sadness I announce that my dear wife Blanka, son Martin and daughter Michala died during the plane catastrophe in Addis Ababa today in the morning hours. Those who knew them, remember them quietly," the Slovak lawmaker wrote on Facebook.

The consular department of the Russian Embassy in Ethiopia has confirmed that there were three Russian citizens aboard the crashed plane.

"There were three Russian passengers aboard the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that was heading this morning from Addis Ababa to Kenya," Rashid Umyarov, the head of the department, said live on air of the Rossiya 24 broadcaster.

The embassy said that it was ready to provide assistance to the relatives of the three killed Russians.

"We express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims! The embassy is establishing contact with the relatives of the Russians and is ready to provide them with all possible assistance in this situation," the embassy said on Twitter.

According to the embassy, the Russian victims are Ekaterina Polyakova, Alexander Polyakov and Sergey Vyalikov, all of them were tourists.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to his Ethiopian counterpart, Sahle-Work Zewde, and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in connection with the tragedy.

"Dear Madam President, dear Mr Prime Minister, please accept my most sincere condolences over the death of passengers and crew members of the aircraft that crashed while departing from Addis Ababa airport. Please convey words of sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims. Let the courage not leave them in this difficult time," the message, which was published on the Kremlin website, says.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed his condolences in connection with the accident, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as well as French and Spanish foreign ministries also expressed their condolences.

Ethiopian authorities announced March 11 a day of mourning for those killed in the plane crash, the prime minister's office said.

Ethiopian Airlines announced that the accident would be properly investigated.

"Investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the accident, in collaboration with all stakeholders including the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and other international entities," the carrier said in a statement.

Boeing has conveyed condolences over the death of an estimated 157 people who were on board of Boeing 737 that crashed in central Ethiopia soon after the take-off on Sunday morning and expressed readiness to provide necessary technical assistance to Ethiopian Airlines.

"A Boeing technical team is prepared to provide technical assistance at the request and under the direction of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board," the company said in a statement published on its official website.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) intends to join the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), to help Ethiopian specialists investigate the Sunday Boeing 737 crash in Ethiopia.

"The FAA is closely monitoring developments in Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash early this morning. We are in contact with the U.S. State Department and plan to join the NTSB in it assistance with Ethiopian civil aviation authorities to investigate the crash," the FAA said on Twitter.

Sunday's accident occurred just over four months after a plane of the same model, Boeing 737 MAX 8, operated by Indonesian low-cost Lion Air, crashed into the Java Sea shortly after departing from Jakarta and killed all 189 people on board.