At least 12 UN staff killed in Ethiopian plane crash
Freelance interpreters on their way to a United Nations environmental conference may also be among the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash, according to a source.
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| The scene of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash, near Bishoftu, Ethiopia, March 10. Photo: AFP-TTXVN |
At least 12 people associated with the United Nations were killed in an Ethiopian Airlines plane crash near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on March 10, a United Nations source said.
Freelance interpreters on their way to a United Nations environmental conference may also be among the victims of the crash, sources said.
Officials say 157 people were killed when a Boeing 737 crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, Kenya, where a United Nations conference was being held.
Meanwhile, Ethiopian Airlines announced on March 10 that the country's authorities, along with the US aircraft manufacturer Boeing and related parties, will coordinate to investigate the cause of the plane crash that morning, after the plane took off from the capital Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya.
The airline's new statement also said that the families of 157 victims have been contacted and that the bodies of the victims will be sent to their families once they have been identified. The victims came from 35 countries.
On the same day, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior German officials sent condolences to the relatives of the victims of the plane crash in Ethiopia. Five German citizens died in the accident.
According to German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, the German Embassy in Addis Ababa is in close contact with Ethiopian authorities.
Meanwhile, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland expressed regret over the horrific accident that killed 18 of her citizens out of 157 victims.
She sent her condolences to the families of the victims and said the Canadian government was in "close contact" with Ethiopian authorities to gather more information.