12 bodies recovered after plane crash

An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people crashed into the Mediterranean Sea in flames early today, just minutes after take-off from Beirut, authorities said.

At least 12 bodies were recovered as rescuers searched the stormy waters.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known but Lebanon was hit by bad weather last night, with thunder, lightning and pouring rain.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said terrorism was not suspected.

“Sabotage is ruled out as of now,” he said.

The Boeing 737-800 took off around 2.30am local time for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said Ghazi Aridi, the public works and transportation minister.

“The weather undoubtedly was very bad,” he told reporters at the airport.

He added that the plane went down about 2 miles (3.5km) off the Lebanese coast.

The Lebanese army said in a statement the plane was “on fire shortly after take-off”.

The wife of Denis Pietton, the French ambassador to Lebanon, was on the plane, according to the French embassy.

Helicopters and naval ships were scrambled for a rescue effort as huge waves slammed into the shore and rain lashed the coast.

A police spokeswoman in Cyprus, which sent rescue crews to the area, said about 12 bodies had been recovered so far and plane debris was found.

Ethiopian Airlines’ chief executive Girma Wake told journalists in Addis Ababa that he had no information on the fate of those on board or about the cause of the crash. He said the aircraft had been serviced on December 25 and passed inspection.

He also said the plane had been leased in September from CIT Aerospace. CIT Aerospace was not immediately available for comment.

Relatives of the passengers began arriving at the airport in Beirut early today, many of them crying and hugging. Officials led them into a VIP area.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced a day of mourning and closed schools and government offices.

The plane was carrying 90 people, including 83 passengers and seven crew.

Mr Aridi, the transportation minister, identified the passengers as 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopians, one Iraqi, one Syrian, one Canadian of Lebanese origin, one Russian of Lebanese origin, a French woman and two Britons of Lebanese origin.

Ethiopian Airlines reported that there were 82 passengers and eight crew; the discrepancy could not immediately be explained.

The Boeing 737 is considered one of the safest planes in airline service. The jet was first introduced in the 1960s, and today is the workhorse on many short- and medium-range routes.

However, over the past 15 years it has been involved in a series of incidents and crashes linked to a valve in the rudder assembly. This reportedly would malfunction and cause the rudder to turn independently of the pilot’s commands.

The problem was considered resolved after operators of older Boeing 737s were ordered to carry out inspections and upgrades of the critical rudder control systems.

Ethiopian Airlines has long had a reputation for high-quality service compared with other African airlines, with two notable crashes in more than 20 years.

A hijacked Ethiopian Airlines jet crash-landed off the Comoros Islands in the Indian Ocean when it ran out of fuel in November 1996, killing 126 of the 175 people on board. The plane had just left Addis Ababa when three hijackers stormed the cockpit and demanded to be taken to Australia.

In September 1988, an Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed shortly after taking off when it ran into a flock of birds, killing 31 of the 104 people on board.