Families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines crash that claimed 157 lives are set to receive compensation of between Sh17 million to Sh25 million per person.
In a report by Nation, the exact amount paid per lost person will also depend on the age, profession and the position one held in life, and the amount could increase if the airline is found to be at fault.
The Nation report said that the victims’ death certificates would be issued within the next two to eight weeks.
The report further said that Ethiopian Airlines officials held a closed meeting with relatives of the crash victims where they said that the compensation will be guided by the Montreal Convention.
One of the family members who spoke to Nation said that the officials said the compensation process would take up to 18 months.
According to the Montreal Convention, compensation arises only if a passenger’s injury or death is caused by an unexpected or unusual event or happening that is external to the passenger.
The Convention provides for a minimum compensation that every passenger must be compensated as long as they were injured or died while on the plane. Currently, the amount stands at about $170,000 (Sh17,000,000) per passenger.