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Investigators at Ethiopian Airlines crash site look for answers

Ethiopia’s prime minister has ordered a full investigation into the crash that killed 157 from over 30 countries.

Part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. The Nairobi-bound plane crashed six minutes after take-off. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
Part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines crash. The Nairobi-bound plane crashed six minutes after take-off. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
10 Mar 2019

An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet travelling from Addis Ababa to Nairobi crashed early on Sunday with 149 passengers and eight crew members on board. There were no survivors according to the airline. 

The plane took off at 8:38am (05:38 GMT) from Bole International Airport and “lost contact” six minutes later.

Flight ET 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, 62 kilometres southeast of the capital Addis Ababa, the airline said, adding that the plane was a Boeing 737 MAX 8.

Crash debris appeared to be spread across a large flat plain. There was a large crater, and metal fragments of the plane strewn around.

At Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta airport some relatives and friends of passengers waited for hours with no information from airport authorities.

People from more than 30 nationalities were on board flight ET 302. They included 32 Kenyans and nine Ethiopians.

Authorities said other victims include 18 Canadians; eight each from China, the United States and Italy; seven each from France and Britain; six from Egypt; and four each from India and Slovakia. 

The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde GebreMariam, in a crater at the crash site, examines wreckage of the plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa. [Facebook via AP]
The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde GebreMariam, in a crater at the crash site, examines wreckage of the plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa. [Facebook via AP]
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Debris was strewn across a wide area at the crash site of the plane, near the village of Talu Fara, outside the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
Debris was strewn across a wide area at the crash site of the plane, near the village of Talu Fara, outside the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
A passenger safety instruction card is among the debris scattered at the crash scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
A passenger safety instruction card is among the debris scattered at the crash scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
Workers at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport hang information notices for those who had come to meet passengers from the Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa that crashed shortly after take-off. [Baz Ratner/Reuters]
Workers at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta Airport hang information notices for those who had come to meet passengers from the Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa that crashed shortly after take-off. [Baz Ratner/Reuters]
At Addis Ababa international airport, news of the crash left people in anguish. [Mulugeta Ayene/AP Photo]
At Addis Ababa international airport, news of the crash left people in anguish. [Mulugeta Ayene/AP Photo]
Relatives and friends of the passengers came to Bole International airport in Addis Ababa to get more information about the Ethiopian flight that crashed. [Elias Masseret/AP Photo]
Relatives and friends of the passengers came to Bole International airport in Addis Ababa to get more information about the Ethiopian flight that crashed. [Elias Masseret/AP Photo]
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This arrivals board in Kenya, lists the crashed flight as cancelled. ET 302 took off at 8:38am (05:38 GMT) from Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital. The pilot mentioned difficulties and was given clearance to turn around. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
This arrivals board in Kenya, lists the crashed flight as cancelled. ET 302 took off at 8:38am (05:38 GMT) from Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital. The pilot mentioned difficulties and was given clearance to turn around. [Daniel Irungu/EPA]
There were people from more than 30 nationalities on board the flight, including from Kenya, Ethiopia, Canada, China, the United States, France, Britain, Egypt, India, Israel, Slovakia, Germany, Austria. Sweden and Russia. [Baz Ratner/Reuters]
There were people from more than 30 nationalities on board the flight, including from Kenya, Ethiopia, Canada, China, the United States, France, Britain, Egypt, India, Israel, Slovakia, Germany, Austria. Sweden and Russia. [Baz Ratner/Reuters]
Rescue crews, police and troops were at the scene of the wreckage, as well as a crash investigation team from Ethiopia's civil aviation agency. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
Rescue crews, police and troops were at the scene of the wreckage, as well as a crash investigation team from Ethiopia's civil aviation agency. [Tiksa Negeri/Reuters]
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