From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Jan 25 2010 - 08:56:19 EST
Bodies recovered after plane crashes with 90 on board
*January 26, 2010*
**
*BEIRUT: *An Ethiopian aircraft carrying 90 people plunged into the sea off
Lebanon in a ball of fire yesterday. There was no sign of survivors,
officials said.
Helicopters and navy vessels rushed to the crash site. At least 18 bodies
were recovered from the stormy waters.
The Lebanese President, Michel Sleiman, ruled out foul play, but the cause
of the crash was not immediately known.
A Defence Ministry official said the Boeing 737 exploded before crashing
shortly after take-off. Investigators were trying to determine whether
lightning had hit the aircraft.
Bad weather has plagued Lebanon since Sunday night, with crackling thunder,
lightning and pouring rain.
The Transport Minister, Ghazi Aridi, said Ethiopian Airlines flight 409 lost
contact with the control tower soon after taking off and crashed into the
Mediterranean Sea off Naameh, south of Beirut.
The Boeing 737-800 took off about 2.30am local time for the Ethiopian
capital, Addis Ababa, Mr Aridi said. ''The weather undoubtedly was very
bad.''
The Lebanese Army said the aircraft was ''on fire shortly after take-off'',
and witnesses reported seeing a ball of fire as it plunged into the sea.
''It was like the whole sea lit up,'' one witness said.
A police spokeswoman in Cyprus, which sent rescue crews to the area, said
aircraft debris had been found.
A correspondent for Agence France-Presse saw eight aircraft seats that had
washed up on shore south of the airport.
Officials listed 83 passengers and seven crew as having been on board the
flight.
Mr Aridi said the passengers included 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopians, one Iraqi,
one French woman, one Syrian and seven crew members. There were also several
dual nationals, including one British-Lebanese, one Canadian-Lebanese and a
Russian-Lebanese.
Among those on board was Marla Sanchez Pietton, the wife of the French
ambassador to Lebanon, Denis Pietton, the French embassy said.
Relatives of the passengers were huddled in the VIP lounge of Beirut
International Airport, some weeping, while awaiting news of their loved
ones. Some fainted and were carried away by Red Cross volunteers.
An official said several children had been on board.
The Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, the Speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, and
a number of ministers and deputies had arrived at the airport to comfort the
families.
''We are working with all the power we have to try and find missing people
from this tragedy,'' Mr Hariri said.
''We are working to find the black box that will tell us what really
happened on the plane.''
The Ethiopian Airlines chief executive, Girma Wake, said from Addis Ababa
that he had no information on the fate of those on board or on the cause of
the crash. The aircraft had been serviced on December 25.
The airline had sent a team to Beirut to investigate.
*Agence France-Presse*
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