A new Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 bound for Nairobi crashed shortly after take-off on Sunday morning, killing all 149 people and eight crew members on board. It was the second fatal crash of the new and popular Boeing jet in less than five months.
Flight 302 left the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa at 8:38 a.m. local time and lost contact six minutes later, the airline said.
Passengers aboard the plane were from all over the world and included eight U.S. citizens, eight from China, eight from Italy, seven each from Britain and France, 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, and nine Ethiopians, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde GebreMariam said in a news conference.
The plane had arrived from Johannesburg on Sunday morning, said GebreMariam. The state-owned airline took delivery of the plane from Boeing in November 2018, he said.
This is the second fatal crash of the Boeing 737 MAX 8, a top selling and new jet, since October, when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 on board. The cause of the Ethiopian Airlines crash is still unknown but it is likely to ramp up scrutiny of Boeing and the popular plane.
“Boeing is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the passengers and crew on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, a 737 MAX 8 airplane,” the airline said in a statement. “We extend our heartfelt sympathies to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board and stand ready to support the Ethiopian Airlines team.”
The Chicago-based aerospace giant said it has a team set to provide technical assistant at the request of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
It is not yet clear what brought down Ethiopian Airlines plane. Flight-tracking site Flightradar24, said that data “show that vertical speed was unstable after take off.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
