Members of the search and rescue mission carry dead bodies at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Home » President Ramaphosa Sends Condolences after Ethiopian Plane Crash

President Ramaphosa Sends Condolences after Ethiopian Plane Crash

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, on behalf of the government and people of South Africa, expressed condolences to the families affected by the Sunday crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane which killed all 157 people on board. In a statement issued on Sunday, President Ramaphosa said the thoughts of the South African people are with the […]

By SAPeople Contributor
11-03-19 12:06
in Africa
Members of the search and rescue mission carry dead bodies at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

President Cyril Ramaphosa has, on behalf of the government and people of South Africa, expressed condolences to the families affected by the Sunday crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane which killed all 157 people on board.

Members of the search and rescue mission carry dead bodies at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 10, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri
The plane crash has claimed 157 lives. Photo: Xinhua

In a statement issued on Sunday, President Ramaphosa said the thoughts of the South African people are with the people of all the affected countries, especially the people of Ethiopia and Kenya.

“The South African diplomatic missions in Addis Ababa and Nairobi have been directed to work with the airline and ascertain whether there were any passengers in the affected plane travelling on South African passports,” the Presidency said.

Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane at the Bole International Airport in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa, January 26, 2017.
REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo

Flight ET302/10 was on its scheduled service from Addis Ababa to Kenya when it crashed shortly after take-off. The airline said the plane was carrying 149 passengers and eight crew.

Ethiopian Airlines has grounded its Boeing Co 737 MAX 8 fleet until further notice, the airline said on its Twitter account on Monday.

“Although we don’t yet know the cause of the crash, we had to decide to ground the particular fleet as extra safety precaution,” it said.

Engine parts are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 11, 2019. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri

Ethiopian Airlines has a fleet of four 737 MAX 8 jets, excluding the one that crashed on Sunday, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

China on Monday ordered its airlines to suspend operations of their 737 MAX 8 jets by 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) following the crash in Ethiopia, the second of a Boeing 737 MAX jet since one operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air crashed in October.

Sources: SAnews.gov.za and Reuters

(Additional reporting by Jamie Freed in Singapore; writing by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Robert Birsel and Clarence Fernandez)