APD | 4 Indians killed in Ethiopian Airlines crash

By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

NEW DELHI, March 12 (APD) - According to recent reports and external affairs ministry confirmations,at least four Indians were among those killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash on Sunday.

External Affairs Minister, SushmaSwarajinformed through twitter that ShikhaGarg who worked with the Indian Environment Ministry and was currently working as a United Nations Development Programme consultant, also died in the crash. 

The other three Indians were VaidyaPannageshBhaskar, Vaidya Hansin Annagesh and NukavarapuManisha. 

The plane took-off from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to Nairobi in Kenya, however it crashed six minutes after departing.

All of the 157 people on board, 149 passengers and eight crewmembers died in the crash that happened around 50 kilometres south of Addis Ababa, at 8.44 am local time.

The cause of the crash of the plane, which was a Boeing 737-8 MAX has not yet been confirmed, while reports are suggesting that the plane was new and had started operations in November.

External Affairs Minister SushmaSwaraj earlier confirmed the deaths of the Indians, emphasizing that she had asked the Indian high commissioner in Ethiopia to provide help to the kin of the families of those killed.

Meanwhile, the Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked Jet Airways and SpiceJet that operate Boeing and Boeing 737 MAX aircraft in India, to check the condition of their aircraft.

The passengers on board of the ill-fated plane were from 35 nationalities. Including 18 from Canada, nine from Ethiopia and eight each from Italy, China, and the US. Seven were from Britain and France and six from Egypt, while five from Germany.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)