An Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed with 92 passengers and crew members aboard on Monday, January 25th at approximately 4:30 a.m. Rescue workers have located the crash site of the plane just off the Lebanese coast.
Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ghazi al-Aridi stated the search and rescue operations are under way but has not elaborated. He also said it’s too early to say what caused the crash but confirmed the plane took off from Beirut’s international airport. The Boeing Co. aircraft plane disappeared from radar screens after leaving Rafik Hariri International Airport at 2:10 a.m. during stormy weather.
Flight ET409 was bound for Addis Ababa. The passengers included about 50 Lebanese nationals. Most of the remaining people were from Ethiopia.
Ethiopian Airlines operates a fleet of 37 predominately Boeing planes. The airline has outstanding orders for ten 787 Dreamliners, twelve Airbus SAS A350s and five Boeing 777s. Ethiopian Airlines and Boeing announced they had signed a contract for ten 737s on Jan. 22, 2010.
According to the Flight Safety Foundation, the carrier hasn’t suffered a fatal crash since November 1996, when 125 people died during a hijacking of a Boeing 767 that was bound for Abidjan, Ivory Coast.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said at a press conference, “As of now, a sabotage act is unlikely. The investigation will uncover the cause.”
Karen Fawcett is president of Bonjour Paris
Karen Fawcett loves to travel anywhere. Karen was a founder & president BonjourParis.com while living in Paris for more than 25 years. She has traveled across Europe and the rest of the world. She is now based in Washington, DC.
