Plane crash: Two passengers are from Akkar

Two of the passengers on the crashed Ethiopian airline are from Akkar region according to National News Agency they are:’
Ghassan Qatergy from western Tell Abbas and Farid Saad Moussa 44, from Menjez.
The Ethiopian plane crashed few minutes after takeoff from Beirut Airport

Britain, France and the US assisting in rescue operation

Britain and France dispatched helicopters to assist in the search and rescue operations for the survivors of crashed Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 according to LBC
The US navy has reportedly sent one ship which has the advanced P3 rescue plane on board, to assist in the operations

Plane crash: Baalbeck is mourning 2 of its sons

The city of Baalbeck is mourning 2 of its sons who were on the Ethiopian Airline plane that crashed off Lebanon coast .
They are:
Suheil Yagi 35 who was heading to Angola after few days of vacation in Lebanon
and Fouad Mohammad Laqqis

Parliament session postponed due to plane crash

A Lebanese parliamentary session scheduled for Monday was postponed after Prime Minister Saad Hariri declared Monday as a mourning period for the Ethiopian plane crash victims.
“Lebanon was shocked today from a national disaster that took the lives of scores of people from around Lebanon,” Berri’s office said in a statement.
“Because of this painful national tragedy,” the speaker “announces the closure of parliament in mourning” of the victims “and postponement of the parliamentary session that was scheduled for today,” the statement added.
Berri called for the special session to discuss a draft law on lowering voting age from 21 to 18.

Ethiopia: ‘We received no threat from terrorists’

Ethiopia had received no threat from terrorist groups prior to the crash Monday of the Ethiopian Airlines flight no 409 carrying 90 people just after takeoff in Beirut, a government spokesman told reporters
“We had not received any threat before from terrorist groups whatsoever,” Shimeles Kemal, state minister for communication, said.
The Ethiopian government official said the plane reportedly caught fire five minutes after takeoff.
“The cause of the accident is being investigated and the government will disclose the information as soon as the investigation is over,” he said.

Ethiopian Airlines dispatched a team of experts to Lebanon to probe the incident.
Ethiopia has been routinely threatened by the al Qaeda-linked Shabab group in neighboring Somalia.

Lebanon Health Minister uges patience

During a press conference Lebanon’s Health Minister Mohammed Jawad Khalife urged the relatives of the victims to be patient and to wait for DNA results at their homes.
He told reporters that DNA tests are underway in order to identify the victims.
He said hotline 71 – 207326 was established to answer the inquiries of passengers’ relatives.
He said : As time passes, the hope to find more survivors is fading . It is expected that more bodies are still confined to the plane’s seats because seat belts.

He also said 14 bodies were received by Beirut Hospital, among them Hassan Mohammed Tajeddine who was identified through his facial features.
He said the incident took place in very bad weather.
He said a delegation from the French embassy came to the hospital and it seems that the body of Marla Sanchez wife of the French Ambassador to Lebanon has not been recovered.

Key information on the Ethiopian plane crash

The Ethiopian airliner carrying 90 people exploded and plunged into the sea off Lebanon just after takeoff in stormy weather early on Monday.

Lebanon president rules out sabotage in plane crash

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman held a press conference following Monday’s crash of an Ethiopian airliner. He ruled out the possibility of sabotage and called on people to wait for the investigation results to find out more.
The plane had 90 passengers and crew on board , including 54 Lebanese, and went down just after takeoff from Beirut around 2:30 a.m. local time.
Defense Minister Elias al-Murr and Lebanese Army Commander Jean Kahwaji who attended the press conference briefed the president on the details of the search and rescue mission.
Suleiman said that a Lebanese committee was formed to investigate the crash, adding that French experts are also helping.
“This is a tragedy for the people and the government, and our hearts go out to the relatives of the victims,” Suleiman said

Defense Minister Elias al-Murr (L) and Lebanese Army Commander Jean Kahwaji (R) surround Lebanese President Michel Suleiman during his press conference following the Ethiopian plane crash

Lebanese victims of the Ethiopian plane crash

Lebanese officials released the names of Lebanese passengers who were on board the Ethiopian plane that crashed early Monday. They were identified as follows:

Ethiopia plane crashes off Lebanon coast

An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people caught fire and crashed into the sea minutes after taking off from Beirut early Monday, setting off a frantic search as passenger seats, baby sandals and other debris washed ashore. At least 34 bodies were recovered.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known. Lebanon has seen stormy weather since Sunday night, with crackling thunder, lightning and rain. The plane went down in darkness and crashed into water that reached just 64 Fahrenheit (18 degrees Celsius) by afternoon.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said terrorism was not suspected in the crash of Flight 409, which was headed for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.
“Sabotage is ruled out as of now,” he said.