No Ghanaian on board Ethiopian Airlines’ crashed plane; Akufo-Addo mourns victims
It has been confirmed that there are no survivors in Sunday morning’s Ethiopian Airlines crash that involved a Boeing 737 shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa.
The airline said 149 passengers and eight crew members were on flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital to Nairobi in Kenya.
It said 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, eight Americans and seven British nationals were among the passengers.
No Ghanaian involved
There was no Ghanaian on board the flight.
Ethiopian state media has stated that more than 30 nationalities were on board flight ET 302, including 32 Kenyans, 9 Ethiopians, 18 Canadians, 8 Chinese, 8 Americans, 8 Italians, 7 French, 7 British, 6 Egyptians, 5 Dutch, 4 Indians, 4 Slovaks, and 2 Spaniards.
Ghanaian President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has since sent a message of condolence to the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, on the news of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.
In his message, President Akufo-Addo stated that “Like all Ghanaians, I have been deeply saddened by Sunday’s news of the tragic loss of 157 lives, who perished on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, in Kenya.”
He continued, “On behalf of the Government and people of Ghana, I extend deep condolences and sympathies to the families of the deceased, and to you, Mr. Prime Minister, the Government and people of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in these difficult times. May the souls of the departed rest in peace.”
According to a statement from Ethiopian Airlines, the aircraft, a Boeing 737 MAX 8, which was carrying 149 passengers and 8 crew members, lost contact with air traffic controllers, some six minutes after take-off, crashing near Bishoftu, southeast of the Ethiopian capital.
The statement did not say, immediately, the cause of the plane crash, but indicated that the plane was a new one, and had only been delivered to the airline in November.
The pilot, who had been working for the carrier since 2010, sent out a distress call shortly after take-off and was given clearance to return.
Like all Ghanaians, I have been deeply saddened by Sunday’s news of the tragic loss of 157 lives, who perished on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, in Kenya. 1/3
The BBC reports that the crash happened at 08:44 local time, six minutes after the months-old Boeing 737 Max-8 took off.
Another plane of the same model was involved in a crash less than five months ago, when a Lion Air flight crashed into the sea near Indonesia with nearly 190 people on board.
Source: Graphic online