A Kenyan family is mourning the death of 5 of its family members perished in Ethiopians’s plane crash that claimed 149 passengers among them 32 Kenyans and eight crew members.
Kelvin Karanja lost his mother, sister and three children who were headed to Nairobi from Ethiopia to meet the rest of the family.
Karanja’s sister and children were on transit from Canada to Kenya via Ethiopia.
“My mother had been in Ethiopia for six months and was coming to be with the rest of the family in Kenya,” said Karanja.
The plane was also carrying 18 Canadians, 6 Egyptians, 9 Ethiopians, 7 French nationals, 8 Americans, 8 Italians, 8 Chinese and 7 Britons among others. The Boeing 737 plane crashed just six minutes after taking off.
Since news of the air tragedy broke, family members of the victims have been gathering at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to get the lasted updates on the fate of their kin.
Ethiopian Airlines has announced it would ground the type of aircraft that was involved in a devastating crash that killed everyone on board just minutes after takeoff, following the lead of Chinese aviation authorities.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration said in a statement early Monday that it has asked domestic airlines to temporarily ground all Boeing 737 Max 8 jets before 6 p.m. It was the first time China has taken the lead in ordering a model grounded before other national aviation agencies.
Cayman Airways also suspended the use of the Boeing 737 Max 8 plane, the latest version of the industry’s most popular passenger airline.