Ethiopian Plane Crash With 90 Onboard
By jayita, Gaea News NetworkMonday, January 25, 2010
BEIRUT, LEBANON (GaeaTimes.com) — An Ethiopian airlines plane, carrying 90 people on board crashed into the Mediterranean Sea, shortly after takeoff from Lebanon, early Monday, sources report.
The crash site has been identified three-and-a-half km (two miles) west of the coastal village of Na’ameh — Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ghazi al-Aridi told reporters at Beirut international airport.
Although he told reporters that rescue operations are going on, refused to give any details. Cause of the crash is still unknown. Authorities are admitting that the plane took off from Beirut international airport in stormy weather.
The plane left Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut at 2:27 a.m. and was headed to the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
It disappeared from radar a few minutes after takeoff, El Aridi said.
Relatives of the passengers began arriving at the airport early Monday, many of them crying and hugging. Officials led them into a VIP area.
The fatal plane, Boeing 737-800 had 83 passengers: 54 Lebanese nationals, 22 Ethiopians, two British-Lebanese, an Iraqi, a Syrian, a Lebanese-Canadian, a Russian-Lebanese and a person from France. The plane also had seven crew members.
