Ethiopian Airlines plane crash: No survivors among 157 on board

An Ethiopian Airlines jet has crashed shortly after take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all 149 passengers on board on Sunday.

According to the airline, 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital to Nairobi in Kenya.

It is reported that 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, eight Americans and seven British nationals were among the passengers.

The fatal crash happened at 08:44 local time, just six minutes after the boeing 737 took off

According to reports, the Planespotters civil aviation database shows that the Boeing 737-8 MAX, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in mid-November.

Less than five months ago another plane of the same model was involved in a crash, when a Lion Air flight crashed into the sea near Indonesia killing nearly 190 people on board.

According to the airline, the pilot had asked to return to Addis Ababa due to difficulties.

"At this stage, we cannot rule out anything," Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told reporters at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.

"We cannot also attribute the cause to anything because we will have to comply with the international regulation to wait for the investigation."

According to an eyewitness at the scene, there was an intense fire as the aircraft hit the ground, BBC reported.

"The blast and the fire were so strong that we couldn't get near it," he said. "Everything is burnt down."

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My view: This so sad, second fatal crash in five months, another plane of the same model was involved in a crash, when a Lion Air flight crashed into the sea near Indonesia. Something should be done as soon as possible. It is very scary.