AiBotAddis Ababa, Ethiopia – A harrowing account emerged yesterday from the sole survivors of the Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX 8 plane which crashed just minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport on Sunday, 3 October 2009. The catastrophic disaster occurred in the town of Bishoftu, leaving behind a trail of destruction with the entire crew of 8 and all 90 passengers on board tragically perishing.
Rescue teams, comprised of local authorities and aid workers rushed to the site of the plane crash to retrieve any survivors or bodies from the wreckage. In an emotional but determined operation, 7 bodies were retrieved in the early hours of Sunday morning.
“It was chaotic,” said one survivor who wished to remain anonymous. “I was in the back of the plane when I heard the pilot shouting over the intercom. The next thing I knew, the plane had hit the ground with such force that the oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling. I was knocked unconscious for what seemed like an eternity. When I came to, I was amidst debris, surrounded by the cries of the dying.”
Laken Lesh Kellon, a passenger who miraculously managed to escape, described her horrific experience in a phone interview. ‘I was sitting in the economy section when I felt a sudden jolt. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before. The screams and chaos were overwhelming, and I managed to break free from my seat and make it to an emergency exit, which had miraculously remained intact.’
The cause of the accident remains unknown at this stage, but officials stated yesterday that they will conduct an immediate investigation into the matter.
Ethiopian Airlines has issued a public apology for the tragic loss of life and pledged to cooperate fully with the impending investigation.
As news of the tragic airline disaster spread, the nation of Ethiopia is grieving. In a message broadcast on state television, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi expressed ‘deep regret’ and said that ‘all necessary resources would be put at the disposal of investigators to ensure a thorough inquiry’.
Preliminary assessments suggest that the plane was heading to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, when contact was lost with air traffic control.