Ethiopia Airlines crash: China grounds Boeing jets

In a story March 11 about the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft after a crash in Ethiopia, The Associated Press reported erroneously that China grounded its models of the same plane for nine hours. China's aviation authority ordered its airlines to ground their Boeing 737 8 Max jets within nine hours, or by 6 p.m.

A corrected version of the story is below:

The Latest: Boeing model grounded in China after crash

China's civilian aviation authority has ordered all Chinese airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on Ethiopian Airlines crash (all times local):

6 a.m.

China's civilian aviation authority has ordered all Chinese airlines to temporarily ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the order is to take effect by 6 p.m. Monday.

It said the order was taken out of safety concerns because the Ethiopian crash was the second in similar circumstances since an Indonesian crash in October also killed everyone aboard.

It said further notice would be issued after consultation with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing on safety measures taken.

Eight Chinese nationals were among the 157 people aboard the plane when it crashed Sunday shortly after takeoff.

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This story has been corrected to say Indonesia crash occurred in October.

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12:30 a.m.

The Norwegian Refugee Council says it is "deeply distressed" by the Ethiopian Airlines crash and that two colleagues are missing.

A statement says the two staffers had been scheduled to travel on the Sunday morning flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi in neighboring Kenya.

The statement gives no further details.

All 157 people on the plane were killed.

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11:17 p.m.

The United Nations migration agency says the U.N. and its agencies on Monday will fly flags at half-staff after early indications show 19 employees of U.N.-affiliated organizations died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

A statement says the organizations include World Bank, International Telecommunications Union, the U.N. Environment Program and others.

The statement also says one of the migration agency's staffers died. Anne-Katrin Feigl was a German national who was en route to a training course in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya and the plane's destination.

All 157 people on board died minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

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11 p.m.

Nigeria's foreign affairs ministry says a former ambassador is among the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

A statement says Abiodun Oluremi Bashua was a retired career envoy who served in various capacities in Iran, Austria and Ivory Coast.

It says the ambassador, born in 1951, was a "seasoned U.N. expert" with experience in several United Nations peacekeeping missions in Africa.

All 157 people died when the plane crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa.

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10:30 p.m.

The World Food Program is confirming that two of the eight Italian victims aboard the Ethiopian Airlines jet worked for the Rome-based U.N. agency.

A WFP spokeswoman identified the victims as Virginia Chimenti and Maria Pilar Buzzetti.

Another three Italians worked for the Bergamo-based humanitarian agency Africa Tremila: Carlo Spini, his wife Gabriella Viggiani and the treasurer, Matteo Ravasio.

In addition, Paolo Dieci, a prominent aid advocate with the International Committee for the Development of Peoples, known by its acronym CISP, was killed.

Also among the Italian dead was Sebastiano Tusa, a noted underwater archaeologist and the Sicilian regional assessor at the Culture Ministry. RAI state television said he was heading to Malindi, Kenya to participate in a UNESCO conference on safeguarding underwater cultural heritage in east Africa, which opens Monday.

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10:15 p.m.

A U.N. official says the United Nations expects that about a dozen passengers affiliated with the world organization were on the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed outside Addis Ababa killing all 157 people on board, but it could be more.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Sunday that national delegates who might have been heading to U.N. meetings, including the U.N. Environment Program's assembly, wouldn't be included in the count.

U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said some colleagues were among the victims.

Earlier, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is "deeply saddened" by the crash that including U.N. staff members, according to a statement from U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric, who gave no details.

--By Edith M. Lederer

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10:10 p.m.

The father of a British woman named Joanna Toole has told the DevonLive website that he has been informed that she was among the people who died in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

Adrian Toole said his 36-year-old daughter Joanna was traveling for her work for the United Nations.

He told the website she was a fervent environmentalist who had worked on animal welfare issues since she was a child.

He said "Joanna's work was not a job, it was her vocation."

Adrian Toole said his daughter used to bring home pigeons and rats in need of care and had traveled to the remote Faroe Islands to try to stop whaling there.

She is one of seven British nationals confirmed to have died in the crash.

According to her Facebook page, she worked for the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization.

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9:55 p.m.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is deeply saddened by the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash that killed 157 people, including 18 Canadians.

Trudeau said in a statement he joins the international community in mourning the lives of so many. He says the Canadian government is providing consular assistance and working with local authorities to gather further information.

He said he is reaching out to Kenya's president and Ethiopia's prime minister. The flight departed from Addis Ababa and was heading to Nairobi.

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9:40 p.m.

The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into the Ethiopian Airlines crash because there are French citizens among the 157 killed.

The prosecutor's office announced the decision Sunday, without elaborating. It is a standard procedure when French citizens are killed abroad.

The French government announced that eight French people are among the victims and opened a crisis center for families of victims, but is not releasing the identities. The airline says seven French citizens are among the victims. The reason for the discrepancy isn't immediately clear in the chaos of the crash aftermath.

Separately, France's air accident authority, known as the BEA, said it would likely be involved in the Ethiopian-led investigation because French company Safran jointly manufactured the Boeing jet's engines along with General Electric.

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9:25 p.m.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says "it is with great sadness and shock" that refugee agency colleagues were among the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash.

A statement by Filppo Grandi says his office is working to confirm how many colleagues were on board the plane that crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.

Both cities are hubs for humanitarian workers.

The statement also says that "colleagues from the United Nations and other partners were also on board."

None of the 157 people on board survived.

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8:40 p.m.

The United Nations secretary-general says he is "deeply saddened" by the Ethiopian Airlines crash outside Addis Ababa and sends his sympathies to families of the victims, who include U.N. staff members.

The statement by the spokesman for Antonio Guterres gives no details on the victims but says the U.N. is working closely with Ethiopian authorities.

Ethiopian Airlines' list of 35 nationalities represented by the victims notes that one had a U.N. passport.

The plane was heading to Nairobi, where a U.N. environment summit starts on Monday.

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8:25 p.m.

Ethiopia's House of People's Representatives has declared Monday a national day of mourning for all 157 victims of Sunday's crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office says the cause of the crash will be "communicated promptly to the public as updates come in."

The prime minister visited the crash site earlier Sunday, as did the airline's CEO. The plane had been en route to Nairobi.

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7:55 p.m.

Identities of the 157 victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash continue to emerge, along with condolences.

Many of the 35 countries that had victims are hurrying to confirm deaths and inform families.

The Russian Embassy in Ethiopia says the airline has identified the three Russians on board as Yekaterina Polyakova, Alexander Polyakov and Sergei Vyalikov. News reports identify the first two as husband and wife. State news agency RIA-Novosibirsk cites a consular official in Nairobi as saying all three were tourists.

Serbia's foreign ministry confirms that a citizen was among those killed but gives no details. Local media identify the man as 54-year-old Djordje Vdovic. The Vecernje Novosti daily reports that he worked at the World Food Program.

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7:50 p.m.

An Italian aid group that partners with UNICEF in northern Africa says one of its founders, Paolo Dieci, is among the dead in the Ethiopian Airlines crash.

The International Committee for the Development of Peoples, known by its acronym CISP, in a statement said "the world of international cooperation has lost one of its most brilliant advocates and Italian civil society has lost a precious point of reference."

UNICEF Italia sent a tweet of condolences over Dieci's death. It noted that CISP was a UNICEF partner in Kenya, Libya and Algeria.

In all eight Italians were killed Sunday. Three belonged to the Bergamo-based humanitarian group Africa Tremila and one was the Sicily regional assessor to the culture ministry, officials said.

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7:40 p.m.

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.

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."

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7:35 p.m.

A prominent Kenyan soccer official is believed to be among the 157 people killed in the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash.

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."

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7:25 p.m.

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."

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7:10 p.m.

Ethiopia's state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting reports that the number of Ethiopian victims in Sunday's plane crash is 18 and their families have been notified.

Ethiopian Airlines had said nine Ethiopian passengers were killed. This new total includes the flight crew.

People from 35 countries were on the flight. All 157 people were killed.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash of the new Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane six minutes after it took off en route for Nairobi.

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7:05 p.m.

British officials have confirmed that seven British nationals have died in the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

British ambassador to Ethiopia Alastair McPhail says in a video posted by the Foreign Office that embassy staff is working to get details.

The victims have not been named. The airline says all 157 on board were killed.

McPhail expressed condolences to the victims and urged people worried about loved ones to follow the Foreign Office's social media channels.

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7 p.m.

Austrian media report that three local doctors were among the passengers on board an Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed near Addis Ababa shortly after taking off for Nairobi.

The Austria Press Agency quotes a spokesman for the country's foreign ministry, Peter Guschelbauer, saying the doctors were between 30 and 40 years old and worked at hospitals in Linz.

Guschelbauer, who couldn't immediately be reached for comment, told APA that the doctors were traveling to Zanzibar for professional purposes.

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6:55 p.m.

A Slovak lawmaker says his wife, daughter and son were killed in the crash of a passenger plane in Ethiopia.

Anton Hrnko with the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party says he is announcing "in deep grief" that his wife Blanka, son Martin and daughter Michala were among the 157 people killed outside Addis Ababa on Sunday morning.

President Andrej Kiska offered his condolences to Hrnko and the relatives of the fourth Slovak victim.

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6:50 p.m.

The mayor of the northern Italian city of Bergamo says three members of a local humanitarian organization, Africa Tremila, were aboard the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed after takeoff, killing all aboard.

Bergamo Mayor Giorgio Gori said in a Facebook post that the president of the aid group, Carlo Spini, his wife and the treasurer, Matteo Ravasio, had been en route to South Sudan.

The foreign ministry says in all eight Italians were among the dead. They included the Sicilian regional assessor to the Culture Ministry, Sebastiano Tusa, according to the Sicilian regional president.

In a tweet, Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte said it was a day of pain for everyone: "We are united with the relatives of the victims and offer them our heartfelt thoughts."

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6:40 p.m.

Ethiopian Airlines says Ethiopian authorities, manufacturer Boeing and other international stakeholders will collaborate on an investigation into the cause of Sunday morning's crash after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

A new statement by the airline also says families of the 157 victims have been contacted and that remains will be returned to them once identified.

The cause of the crash is not yet known. The new Boeing 737-8 MAX plane had been en route to Nairobi. Victims came from 35 countries.

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6:30 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other senior German officials are sending Ethiopia their condolences following news of the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane destined for Nairobi.

Merkel's spokeswoman Martina Fietz said Sunday on Twitter that the chancellor expressed her "deeply felt condolences and sympathy for the relatives of the victims."

Authorities in Ethiopia said all 157 people on board were killed in the crash. Five Germans were among the victims, said authorities.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier likewise issued statements of condolence.

Maas said Germany's embassy in Addis Ababa was in close contact with Ethiopian authorities.

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6:20 p.m.

As sunset approaches at the site of an Ethiopian Airlines crash, searchers and a bulldozer pick through the scattered remains of the plane.

No one survived the crash. Authorities say 157 people were on board, with 35 nationalities represented.

Red Cross and other personnel are scouring a vast area for remains and pieces of the plane, which disintegrated with no large segments remaining.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash. The jetliner, a new Boeing 737-8 MAX, showed unstable vertical speed after takeoff, air traffic monitor Flightradar 24 said in a Twitter post.

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5:35 p.m.

Ethiopian Airlines has issued a new list of crash victims that now includes German, Austrian, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Israeli citizens and others.

The new list shows 35 nationalities among the dead after the plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi on Sunday morning. In all, 157 people were on board.

Five Germans were killed and three each from Russia, Austria and Sweden. Spain, Israel Morocco and Poland each lost two citizens.

Countries losing one citizen were Belgium, Djibouti, Indonesia, Ireland, Mozambique, Norway, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Somalia, Serbia, Togo, Uganda, Yemen, Nepal and Nigeria.

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5:15 p.m.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms that two Israeli citizens were among the 157 people killed in an Ethiopian Airlines crash outside Addis Ababa.

Netanyahu's office said he spoke with Israeli envoys who briefed him with details. Netanyahu says in a statement that "our hearts go out to their families."

More than 30 nationalities were among the victims.

Meanwhile, Slovakia's foreign ministry confirms authorities' earlier reports that four Slovak nationals were killed.

And a Dutch foreign ministry spokeswoman says embassy staff are working to confirm that five citizens from the Netherlands are among the dead.

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5:10 p.m.

The Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning likely was carrying people set to attend a major United Nations environmental conference in Nairobi.

Authorities have said more than 30 nationalities were among the dead.

The U.N. Environment Assembly is set to begin on Monday in Kenya's capital, where the plane was headed.

French President Emmanuel Macron and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are among those expected. U.N. Environment has said more than 4,700 heads of state, ministers, business leaders and others would attend.

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4:50 p.m.

Ethiopia's prime minister has visited the site of an Ethiopian Airlines crash that killed all 157 people thought to be on board.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office says he expressed his "profound sadness" and ordered a full investigation and "all required support" to the families of the dead.

More than 30 nationalities were among the victims.

The plane en route to Nairobi crashed six minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa. The cause of the crash of the new Boeing 737-8 MAX is not yet known.

Images from the crash site show little left of the plane.

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4:20 p.m.

The new Boeing 737-8 MAX plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning was one of 30 purchased and being delivered to the rapidly expanding airline.

A Boeing statement in July noted the delivery of the first plane.

The Ethiopian Airlines CEO says the plane that crashed with 157 people thought to be on board had been delivered in mid-November.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash just six minutes after takeoff en route to Nairobi. The CEO says the pilot sent out a distress call and was given clearance to return.

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3:30 p.m.

The Ethiopian Airlines CEO and Kenya's transport minister say Canadians, Chinese, Americans and others are among the many nationalities among the victims of Sunday morning's deadly plane crash after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

Authorities earlier said 32 Kenyans and nine Ethiopians were killed. Now they add 18 Canadians; eight each from China, the United States and Italy; seven each from France and Britain; six from Egypt; five from the Netherlands and four each from India and Slovakia.

The airline has said 157 people were thought to be on board.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash of new Boeing 737-8 MAX plane shortly after takeoff from Bole Airport en route to Kenya's capital, Nairobi.

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2:45 p.m.

Ethiopian Airlines has published a photo that appears to show its CEO standing amid the wreckage of the plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

Little of the plane can be seen in the freshly churned earth.

The airline's social media post says that "Tewolde Gebremariam, who is at the accident scene now, regrets to confirm that there are no survivors. He expresses his profound sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of passengers and crew who lost their lives in this tragic accident."

The airline has said 157 people — 149 passengers and 8 crew — are thought to have been on board the flight that crashed six minutes after takeoff en route to Nairobi.

It is not yet clear what caused the crash.

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1:50 p.m.

A spokesman for Ethiopian Airlines says the among the dead in the crash Sunday are 32 Kenyans and 17 Ethiopians. Asrat Begashaw said that 31 other nationalities were also among those on board the new Boeing 737-8 MAX plane that crashed, killing all the 157 people thought to be on the flight.

1:35 p.m.

Ethiopia's state broadcaster says all passengers on the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa are dead.

The airline has said 157 people were thought to be on board the flight to Nairobi on Sunday morning.

Broadcaster EBC says the passengers included 33 nationalities.

The cause of the crash of the new Boeing 737-8 MAX plane is not immediately known.

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1:10 p.m.

Records show that the Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane that crashed shortly after takeoff Sunday morning from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi was a new one.

The Planespotters civil aviation database shows that the plane, a Boeing 737-8 MAX, was delivered to Ethiopian Airlines in mid-November.

The Ethiopian Airlines' statement says the 737-8 MAX crashed six minutes after takeoff, with 157 people thought to be on board.

The cause of the crash is not immediately known.

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11:45 a.m.

Ethiopian Airlines says it believes 149 passengers and eight crew members were on board a plane that crashed six minutes after taking off from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, on a flight to Nairobi.

A statement from the airline on Sunday morning said the Boeing 737 crashed around Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the capital, shortly after taking off at 8:38 a.m. local time.

The airline statement said "search and rescue operations are in progress and we have no confirmed information about survivors or any possible casualties."

The Ethiopian prime minister's office in a separate, earlier statement offered condolences to families.

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11:33 a.m.

The Ethiopian prime minister's office says an Ethiopian Airlines plane has crashed on its way to Nairobi, with deaths reported.

The office issued a statement Sunday morning saying the Boeing 737 was on a regularly scheduled flight when it crashed. The statement gave no details.

A spokesman for the airline confirmed the plane crashed while heading from Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. It is not yet clear where the crash occurred. The airline has not issued a statement.

The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines calls itself Africa's largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.