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| The airline's boss at the crash site |
An Ethiopian Airlines jet has crashed shortly after
take-off from Addis Ababa, killing all on board.
The airline said 149 passengers and eight crew members were
believed to be on flight ET302 from the Ethiopian capital to Nairobi in Kenya.
It said 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, eight Americans and seven
British nationals were among the passengers.
The crash happened at 08.44 local time, six minutes after
the months-old Boeing 737 Max-8 took off.
It is not yet clear what caused the accident. An eyewitness
at the scene told the BBC there was an intense fire as the aircraft hit the
ground.
"The blast and the fire were so strong that we
couldn't get near it," he said. "Everything is burnt down. There are
four helicopters at the scene now."
In an earlier statement, the airline said that search and
rescue operations were under way near the crash site around the town of
Bishoftu, which is 60km (37 miles) south-east of the capital.
"Ethiopian Airlines staff will be sent to the accident
scene and will do everything possible to assist the emergency services,"
the statement added.
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