The Ethiopian prime minister’s office says an Ethiopian Airlines plane has crashed on its way to Nairobi, with deaths reported.
Ethiopian Airlines says it believes 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board a plane that crashed six minutes after taking off from Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, on a flight to Nairobi.
A statement from the airline on Sunday morning said the Boeing 737 crashed around Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 31 miles south of the capital, shortly after taking off at 8:38 a.m. local time.
The airline statement said “search and rescue operations are in progress and we have no confirmed information about survivors or any possible casualties.”
The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines calls itself Africa’s largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.
Shingai Nyoka @shingainyokaEthiopian Airlines statement on plane crash
Shingai Nyoka @shingainyokaEthiopian Airlines statement on plane crash
Alex Macheras
✔ @AlexInAir
Statement from PMhttps://twitter.com/pmethiopia/status/1104650609951719427?s=21 …
Alex Macheras
✔ @AlexInAir
Ethiopian Airlines flight #ET302 dropped from radar 6 minutes after departure from Addis Ababa
The jet is a brand new Boeing 737 MAX 8 – delivered to the airline just four months ago. pic.twitter.com/o01HDgEI16
Office of the Prime Minister – Ethiopia
✔ @PMEthiopia
The Office of the PM, on behalf of the Government and people of Ethiopia, would like to express it’s 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.
