Ethiopian Airlines Crash: Nairobi-bound plane crashes 6 minutes after take off; 157 confirmed dead

An Ethiopian Airlines flight with 157 people on board, crashed en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi on Sunday. The flight, ET302, dropped from radar six minutes after departure from Addis Ababa.

According to Associated Press, it crashed near the town of Bishoftu, 62 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa.

A spokesperson confirmed that the crash happened at 8.44 am (East Africa Time). The jet was a brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 - delivered to the airline just four months ago.

"The Office of the PM, on behalf of the Government and people of Ethiopia, would like to express its deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 on regular scheduled flight to Nairobi, Kenya this morning," the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister tweeted.  

The Ethiopian Flight ET 302 was carrying passengers from 33 countries. It has been confirmed that all died in the crash. 

It has not yet been ascertained on what caused the crash. However, reports has stated that the flight could not be contacted for six minuted before the crash.

Reports state that all 157 on board the Ethiopian Airline were killed in the crash. 

"There are no survivors on board the flight, which carried passengers from 33 countries," state-run Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation, quoted an unidentified source at the airline as saying. 

Airport emergency hotline
(251)11 5 17 87 33
(251)115 17 47 35
(251)11 5 17 41 00

For all information necessary
(251)11 5 17 89 45
(251)11 5 17 89 87
(251)11 5 17 82 31
(251)11 5 17 85 58

According to reports, the Ethiopian Airlines flight number ET302 was supposedly only four months old. Its first flight was in October 2018 and flew regularly to many popular destinations in the continent. 

Ethiopian airlines released a list of phone numbers for those who want more information

Airport emergency hotline - 011 5 17 87 33; 0115 17 47 35

For all information necessary - 011 5 17 89 45; 011 5 17 89 87; 011 5 17 82 31; 011 5 17 85 58

"We hereby confirm that our scheduled flight ET 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi was involved in an accident today," the airline said in a statement. "It is believed that there were 149 passengers and eight crew on board the flight but we are currently confirming the details of the passenger manifest for the flight."

Ethiopian Airline, the state-owned carrier is touted as one of the largest airline companies in Africa. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had said recently that many sectors of the country, including the airline sector, would be opened for foreign investments. 

After the crash, the airlines said that "search and rescue operations are in progress and we have no confirmed information about survivors or any possible casualties."