ETHIOPIA: Airlines chief fears no survivors on ill fated plane as relatives await news
Record ID:
382230
ETHIOPIA: Airlines chief fears no survivors on ill fated plane as relatives await news
- Title: ETHIOPIA: Airlines chief fears no survivors on ill fated plane as relatives await news
- Date: 26th January 2010
- Summary: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (JANUARY 25, 2010) (REUTERS) ETHIOPIAN AIRWAYS SIGN ON AIRPORT WALL PASSENGERS LIST BEING READ RELATIVES SEATED ON PAVEMENT AND CRYING (SOUNDBITE) (English) ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ATO GIRMA WAKE SAYING: "Our flight ET 409 departed Beirut at 2:35am this morning and after a few minutes they were lost from the radar. We learnt that the plane crashed about two kilometres from the seashore in the Mediterranean sea. The aircraft is 737-800 manufactured in 2002 and came to the service of Ethiopian airlines in 2009 last September, the aircraft was maintained the last on December 25, it was a normal air jet, it had no technical problems at all it departed yesterday from here with no remark at all, it left Beirut with no remark at all, it had 82 passengers and 8 crews members, out of these 82 passengers 52 are Lebanese nationals, 23 are Ethiopian nationals, eight crew, there was Turkish passengers, France passengers, two British passengers, one Russian, one Canadian, one Syrian and one Iraqi." MEDIA AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ATO GIRMA WAKIE SAYING: (FIRST PART OF BITE HAS UNDERLAY OF REPORTERS LISTENING) "There was bad weather, how bad it is I will not able to say now, (GIRMA WAKIE BACK ON CAMERA) from what I see probably it was a manageable weather otherwise the crew would not have taken off. So I will have to wait until I get more information." MORE OF JOURNALISTS AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 10th February 2010 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Ethiopia
- Country: Ethiopia
- Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes
- Reuters ID: LVA1B3K0MV5MKGXNFK9UQEW56UNH
- Story Text: News of an Ethiopian Airlines plane with 90 people on board crashing into the sea shortly after taking off from Beirut was received in shock by relatives who had thronged the airport early on Monday (January 25).
The Boeing 737-800, heading for Addis Ababa, disappeared off the radar some five minutes after taking off at 2:37 a.m. (0037 GMT) during a thunder storm and heavy rain.
Ethiopian airline officials called names from the passengers list to relatives who were eager to know the fate of their loved ones.
Some relatives broke down at the international arrivals terminal and were moved to a secluded area by the airline officials.
The airlines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ato Girma Wake said the plane with 82 passengers and 8 crew members onboard took off from Beirut airport and a few minutes later, it lost contact with control tower.
"Our flight ET 409 departed Beirut at 2:35am this morning and after a few minutes they were lost from the radar. We learnt that the plane crashed about two kilometres from the seashore in the Mediterranean sea. The aircraft is 737-800 manufactured in 2002 and came to the service of Ethiopian airlines in 2009 last September, the aircraft was maintained the last on December 25, it was a normal air jet, it had no technical problems at all it departed yesterday from here with no remark at all, it left Beirut with no remark at all, it had 82 passengers and 8 crews members, out of these 82 passengers 52 are Lebanese nationals, 23 are Ethiopian nationals, eight crew there was Turkish passengers, France passengers, two British passengers, one Russian, one Canadian, one Syrian and one Iraqi," Girma said.
Girma Wake said he did not think the crew would have taken off in dangerous weather conditions.
"There was bad weather, how bad it is I will not able to say now, from what I see probably it was a manageable weather otherwise the crew would not have taken off. So I will have to wait until I get more information," he told reporters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa State-owned Ethiopian Airlines has positioned itself as a major player in international air traffic in Africa and has recently expanded its Asian network.
It has regular flights to Lebanon, catering for business clients and the hundreds of Ethiopians who work there as domestic helpers.
Last Friday (January 22) the airline announced an order for 10 of Boeing's Next-Generation 737-800s for a total price of $767 million. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None