ETHIOPIAN AIRLINE CRASH CLAIMS 157 LIVES

People of different nationalities were the casualties of the Ethiopian Airline crash that happened on Sunday. None of the 149 passengers and eight crew members on board the Boeing 737 survived the crash en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.

The 157 passengers were of 35 different nationalities, with one person travelling on a UN passport. Flight ET 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, about 50 kilometres south-east of the Ethiopian capital.

The Boeing 737 reportedly took off at 8:38am from Bole International Airport and just a few minutes later lost contact, according to the airline. Shortly after take-off, the senior pilot, who had been working for the airline since 2010, sent a distress call and was given clearance to return.

The plane had flown only 1,200 hours since its purchase in November and was last maintained on Feb. 4. The plane arrived in Addis Ababa very early on Sunday morning from Johannesburg, South Africa, before taking off for Nairobi a few hours later.

Reports has it that the Ethiopian Airline plane is the same model as a Lion Air aircraft that crashed off the coast of Indonesia in October, and claimed the lives of 189 people. The Lion Air plane was also a newly purchased aircraft and had crashed 11 minutes after take-off.

German President, Frank-Walter Steinmeier has sent his condolences to the affected families and he expressed his shock after hearing about thecrash. Also, French President, Emmanuel Macron, has shared the sadness of the families of those affected.

The cause of the crash is still very much unknown.