An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet has crashed today Sunday, March 10, 2019. The ill-fated flight was bound for Nairobi, Kenya, but it crashed just 6 minutes after take-off. All 157 passengers and crew members are reported dead.
Flight ET 302 crashed near Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa. The aircraft shattered into many pieces on impact, and personal effects were found all over the scene.
The flight’s departure time from Bole Airport in Addis Ababa was 8:38 a.m., but it lost contact with the control tower at 8:44 a.m.
The airline has reported that the flight had passengers from 33 countries to include the U.S, Kenya, Ethiopia, France, Nigeria, China, the UK, Morocco, Spain, Poland, India, Sweden, Israel, amongst others.
The aircraft involved in the crash—a Boeing 737 MAX 8— has raised a lot of questions. It was the same model involved in the Lion Air flight that crashed in Jakarta on October 29 shortly after take-off, claiming the lives of the 189 people on board.
At this time, investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of the crash. The CEO of the Airline, Tewolde GebreMariam. stated in a news conference that the new aircraft had no record of technical problems. The pilot was also known to have a stellar flying record.
“We received the airplane on November 15, 2018, he said. “It had flown from Johannesburg earlier this morning. The pilot mentioned that he had difficulties and that he wanted to return,” Tewolde said.
The airline has confirmed the deaths of the 157 passengers.
Ethiopian Airlines is well-known for its remarkable safety record. It is also one of the largest airlines in Africa by fleet size. The airline had recently ordered a number of Boeing 737 MAX 8 jets to add to its expansive fleet, and the ill-fated plane was one of the new orders.
Sahara Reporters has confirmed that Pius Adesanmi, A foremost professor and writer, was one of the victims of the crash.
We pray for the victims and their families.
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