Addis Ababa: Ethiopia on Monday declared a national day of mourning following the death of 157 passengers in a fatal plane crash on Sunday morning.
The Kenyan bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 took off at 8:44 am local time, losing contact with air traffic control at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, just six minutes later, report said
“The House of People’s Representatives have declared March 11, 2019, a national day of mourning for citizens of all countries that have passed in this tragic accident,” Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said on Twitter.
Foreign governments and the United Nations have reacted with shock to the plane crash .The plane was reportedly carrying passengers from more than 35 different countries.
According to the UN Department of Safety and Security in Kenya, 19 UN staff perished in the crash. The World Food Programme (WFP)) lost seven staff, the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees (UNHCR) lost two, as did the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Sudan, World Bank and UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) each lost one staff member. Six staff from the UN Office in Nairobi (UNON) were also tragically killed.
