An Ethiopian Airlines jet Boeing 737 crashed minutes shortly after take-off from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board. At least four Indians including a UN consultant attached with the Environment Ministry were among those killed in an unfortunate crash.
The Indian Embassy in Ethiopia identified the deceased passengers as Vaidya Pannagesh Bhaskar, Vaidya Hansin Annagesh, Nukavarapu Manisha and Shikha Garg.
In a series of the tweet, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday said, “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.”
“My colleague Dr Harsh Vardhan (Environment Minister) has confirmed that Ms.Shikha Garg is a Consultant with the Ministry of Environment and Forests. She was travelling to attend the UNEP meeting in Nairobi,” Sushma Swaraj said in another tweet.
The Minister also tweeted that she is trying to reach the families of other Indian nationals. She further urged officials to help her reach the families of those killed.
It is to be noted that people from 35 countries were reportedly on board flight ET 302 when it ploughed into a field 60 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa. In a statement, Ethiopian Airlines said that the plane had taken off at 8:38 am from Bole International Airport and lost contact six minutes later. It came down near Tulu Fara village outside the town of Bishoftu.
Ethiopian Airlines further stated that Kenya had the largest number of casualties with 32, followed by Canada with 18, Ethiopia nine, then Italy, China, and the United States with eight each. “Britain and France each had seven people on board, Egypt six, and Germany five. Twelve countries in Africa and 14 in Europe had citizens among the victims,” it added.
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