The UN and the world, in general, continued to mourn the victims of the Ethiopian plane crash during the opening of the environmental assembly in Nairobi Kenya. The assembly was opened with the flag at half-mast and a minute of silence for the victims.
The Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airline flight ET302 crashed on Sunday killing all the 157 people that were on board. Among the victims included at least 22 UN staff, scientists and humanitarian activists that were headed for the organization’s environment assembly in Nairobi.
After the opening of the assembly, various speaker poured in messages of condolence expressing their sympathy to the loved ones of the victims.
Among those who extended condolence was Mr. Siim Kiisler, the president of the assembly who is also the Estonian environment minister. He remarked, “We have lost fellow delegates, interpreters and UN staff. I express my condolences to those who lost loved ones in the crash”.
Ms. Joyce Msuya, the acting executive director of the UN Environment said that “The environmental community is in mourning today. Many of those that lost their lives were en route to provide support and participate in the UN Environment assembly. We lost UN staff, youth delegates traveling to the assembly, seasoned scientists, members of academia and other partners.
The Nairobi-bound Flight ET302 crashed just a few minutes after taking off from the Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Sunday morning heading to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya. Shortly after taking off, the pilot reported technical problems before the control tower lost contact with the aircraft. Later the wreckage was later found near the town of Bishoftu, 62km South of Addis Ababa.
Investigations are still on-going by aviation authorities to establish what might have caused a sudden crash of a new plane with an experienced pilot. The Boeing 737 Max was also involved in a similar accident last year in Indonesia killing 189 people on board. Meanwhile, Ethiopia and China have decided to ground the Boeing planes until the real cause of the crash is established.
Among the families that lost loved ones in the crash include one in Nakuru, Kenya that lost up to five family members, as reported by a local TV. The victims constituted various nationalities, ages, and background. According to reports, 32 victims were from Kenya, 18 from Canada, 7 from Britain. At least 32 countries in total had victims with the largest number coming from Kenya.