Four Indians among 157 killed in Ethiopia plane crash

The plane, en route to Nairobi, crashed shortly after taking off from the Ethiopian capital, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board.
Four Indians among 157 killed in Ethiopia plane crash
Four Indians among 157 killed in Ethiopia plane crash
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Four Indians were among the 157 people killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on Sunday, informed Minister of External Affairs, Sushma Swaraj. The Indian Embassy in Ethiopia identified the deceased passengers as Vaidya Pannagesh Bhaskar, Vaidya Hansin Annagesh, Nukavarapu Manisha and Shikha Garg.

“I am sorry to know about the unfortunate crash of Ethiopian Airlines plane ET 302. We have lost four Indian nationals in the air crash. I have asked Indian High Commissioner in Ethiopia to provide all help and assistance to the bereaved families,” tweeted Sushma Swaraj, who also took to Twitter to help her reach out to the families.

The plane, Boeing 737 Max-8 en route to Nairobi, crashed shortly after taking off from the Ethiopian capital, killing all 149 passengers and eight crew on board, according to media reports.

One of the four Indian passengers, Shikha Garg, was a Consultant with Ministry of Environment and Forests. She was travelling to attend UNEP meeting in Nairobi, said Union Minister Harsh Vardhan.

“Our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their loved ones in the crash of Ethiopian Airlines passenger aircraft today. We are informed that four Indian nationals were on the flight. We are in touch with the airlines and local authorities,” said the Indian Embassy in Ethiopia.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, too, have expressed their condolences.

“Anguished by the loss of lives due to the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane. My thoughts are with the bereaved families,” wrote the PM.

“Profound condolences to the families of 149 passengers killed in an Ethiopian Airlines crash soon after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi. Among them were 4 Indians and 4 UN staff. RIP," Shashi Tharoor tweeted.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said passengers from more than 30 countries were on board the flight, the BBC reported. They included 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, 9 Ethiopians, 8 Italians, 8 Chinese, 8 Americans, 7 Britons, 7 French, 6 Egyptians, 5 Dutch citizens, 4 Indians and 4 from Slovakia.

Three Austrians, 3 Swedes, 3 Russians, 2 Moroccans, 2 Spaniards, 2 Poles and 2 Israelis were also on the flight.

One passenger each belonged to Belgium, Indonesia, Somalia, Norway, Serbia, Togo, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sudan, Uganda and Yemen.

The crash happened at 8.44 am, six minutes after the Boeing 737 Max-8 took off.

The cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained.

(With inputs from IANS)

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