An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 crashed on March 10 morning en route from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Nairobi, Kenya with 149 passengers and eight crew believed to be on board, Ethiopian Airlines said.
(Pictured) People walk past a part of the wreckage at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, near the town of Bishoftu, southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia March 10.
A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 on March 10.
Cabin serviettes are seen at the scene of the plane crash on March 10.
Passenger Ahmed Khalid (L), who missed his Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 while connecting from Dubai, is received by his father Khalid Bzambur (R) at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 10, in Nairobi, Kenya.
People use their mobile phones near the flight information board displaying the details of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on March 10, in Nairobi, Kenya.
A flight information board displaying the details of Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 is seen March 10.
Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, on March 10, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Wreckage lies at the scene of the crash.
Two Short, Erratic Flights End in Tragedy: Could They Be Linked?
Once again, an almost brand new jetliner crashes not long after takeoff as it flies erratically and pilots ask to return to the airport. The crash Sunday morning of a Boeing Co. 737 Max 8 in Ethiopia bears unmistakable similarities to the Oct. 29 tragedy off the coast of Indonesia involving the same model, prompting questions about whether a design issue that arose during the earlier accident could be to blame. The stakes for Boeing and one of its most popular models are enormous.
Tractors excavate the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash on March 10.
A relative reacts as he leaves the information center following the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya March 10.
Rescue workers are seen at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash, March 10.
A Kenyan woman is comforted by a Red Cross worker after getting information about her loved ones that were on board the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya, March 10.
A Red Cross team works amid debris at the crash site.
Ethiopian plane smoked and shuddered before deadly plunge
Ethiopian plane smoked and shuddered before deadly plunge
Family members of the victims react to news of the plane crash on March 10.
People walk at the scene of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight ET 302 plane crash on March 10.
The CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, looks at the wreckage of the plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, March 10.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam holds a press briefing at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, March 10.
A woman whose fiance was on board waits for news at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi, Kenya on March 10.
18/18 SLIDES
Slideshow by photo services
A Greek man said on Sunday he would have been the 150th passenger on the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing plane that crashed killing all on board, except he arrived two minutes late for the flight.
'Will call you when I land,' texted Indian Ethiopia crash victim
An Indian newly-wed who died in the Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines plane crash had texted her husband she would call him on landing, local media reported Tuesday. Shikha Garg, who was travelling to attend the annual assembly of the UN Environment Programme, had got married less than three months ago to Soumya Bhattacharya after dating for three years. Bhattacharya was also supposed to fly with her to Nairobi but a last-minute change in plans meant he stayed back in New Delhi, the mass-circulation Times of India reported. "I have boarded the flight and will call you once I land," Garg texted.
"I was mad because nobody helped me to reach the gate on time," Antonis Mavropoulos said in a Facebook post entitled "My lucky day" in which he includes a photo of his ticket.
Mavropoulos, president of the International Solid Waste Association, a non-profit organization, was travelling to Nairobi to attend the annual assembly of the UN Environment Programme, according to Athens News Agency.
He was supposed to board the plane but he reached the departure gate just two minutes after it was closed.
He booked a later flight but was then prevented from boarding by airport staff.
"They led me to the police station of the airport. The officer told me not to protest but to pray to God because I was the only passenger that didn't board the ET 302 flight that was lost," Mavropoulos said in his post in which he admits being in shock.
The airport authorities explained that they wanted to question him because he was the only passenger booked onto the doomed flight who wasn't on board.
"They said they couldn't let me go before cross-checking my identity, the reason I hadn't boarded the plane etc."
The Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 crashed just minutes after an early-morning takeoff Sunday from Addis Ababa.
People holding passports from more than 30 countries were on board including a number of UN workers.
State-owned Ethiopian Airline had taken delivery of the Boeing 737-800 MAX plane on November 15. It was of the same type as a plane that crashed in October after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.