The United States confirms that Americans are among the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash outside Addis Ababa on Sunday morning.
A brief State Department statement says U.S. embassies in Addis Ababa and Nairobi are working with Ethiopia’s government and Ethiopian Airlines “to offer all possible assistance.”
The airline has said eight Americans were killed. All of the 157 people on board died.
The State Department says it will directly contact victims’ family members and that “out of respect for the privacy of the families, we won’t have any additional comments about the victims.”
A prominent Kenyan soccer official is believed to be among the 157 people killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash.
Family members of the victims involved in a plane crash react at Addis Ababa international airport Sunday, March 10, 2019.
Hussein Swaleh, the former secretary general of the Kenyan soccer federation, was due to return home on the flight after working as the match commissioner in an African Champions League game in Egypt on Friday.
The plane was destined for the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, but crashed minutes after takeoff Sunday in Addis Ababa.
Kenyan soccer federation president Nick Mwendwa said Swaleh was one of the 32 Kenyan nationals on the flight. Mwendwa wrote on Twitter: “Sad day for football.”
Germany’s foreign ministry says “we must unfortunately assume that German citizens are also among the victims of the plane crash in Ethiopia.”
Ethiopian Airlines’ list of nationalities for 150 of the 157 people on board included five from Germany. The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi on Sunday morning.
Family members arrive at Bole International airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sunday, March 10, 2019, to check on information on the Ethiopian flight that crashed. (AP Photo/Elias Masseret)
German officials didn’t say how many Germans were believed to have been on board.
The ministry said German diplomats “are in close contact with Ethiopian Airlines and the Ethiopian authorities to get confirmed information as soon as possible.”
Herewith the latest breakdown of the nationalities of most among the 157 people aboard Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines ET 302 which crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning.
The list of 35 nationalities was tweeted by Ethiopian Airlines, with no destinction made between the 149 passengers and eight crew.
The count is not final.
– Africa –
Kenya 32
Ethiopia 9
Egypt 6
Morocco 2
Djibouti 1
Mozambique 1
Rwanda 1
Sudan 1
Somalia 1
Togo 1
Uganda 1
Nigeria 1
– Americas –
Canada 18
United States 8
– Asia –
China 8
India 4
Indonesia 1
Nepal 1
– Europe –
Italy 8
France 7
Britain 7
Germany 5
Slovakia 4
Russia 3
Austria 3
Sweden 3
Spain 2
Poland 2
Belgium 1
Ireland 1
Norway 1
Serbia 1
– Middle East –
Israel 2
Saudi Arabia 1
Yemen 1
– Other –
UN passport 1
– TOTAL –
150
