Seven Britons are among the 157 people killed when an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed on its way to Kenya, Kenya’s transport secretary James Macharia has said.
The Boeing 737-8 MAX crashed shortly after take-off from Ethiopia’s capital on Sunday morning, killing all passengers and crew thought to be on board, the airline and state broadcaster said.
The plane crashed six minutes after departing Addis Ababa on its way to Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
Passengers included 33 nationalities, including 32 Kenyans and 17 Ethiopians and eight Britons. Chinese state TV said eight Chinese citizens were on board.
People walk around the crash scene, near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia
People walk around the crash scene, near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia Credit: REUTERS
The plane took off at 8:38am (0638 GMT) from Bole International Airport and “lost contact” six minutes later near Bishoftu, a town some 37 miles southeast of Addis Ababa. The plane came down near the village of Tulu Fara.
An AFP reporter said there was a massive crater at the crash site, with belongings and airplane parts scattered widely.
An eyewitness told the BBC there was an intense fire when the plane crashed.
“The blast and the fire were so strong that we couldn’t get near it,” he said. “Everything is burnt down. There are four helicopters at the scene now.” Police and troops are on the scene, as well as a crash investigation team from Ethiopia’s civil aviation agency.
The plane showed unstable vertical speed after takeoff, air traffic monitor Flightradar 24 said in a Twitter post. Visibility appeared to be clear.
The airline said it was setting up a passenger information centre and a dedicated telephone number for family and friends of people who may have been on board the flight.
