Family members of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster made an emotional visit to the site of the crash on Wednesday, paying tribute to their loved ones who perished in the tragic accident.
The aircraft departed Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on Sunday morning and was bound for Kenya’s Nairobi, but contact was lost just minutes after takeoff and the plane crashed near the town of Bishoftu, killing all 157 people on board. The victims included 149 passengers and eight crew members from more than 30 countries
On Wednesday noon, three buses carrying relatives of the victims stopped at the crash site, where the grief-stricken family members paid their respects by laying flowers and portraits.
Ethiopia Airlines plans to talk with the families of each victim starting on Thursday, to confirm the identities of those killed and hand over their belongings as soon as possible.
The airline on Monday announced it has found the black box data recorder of the crashed Boeing 737 Max 8 jet plane, which will give potential clues into identifying the cause of the crash.
The investigation into the crash of the aircraft is ongoing, with investigators being joined by representatives from the Boeing company as well as international probe groups.
The salvage and cleanup work of all the debris at the accident site is expected to be completed over the course of the next few days, and the crater caused by the devastating impact is set to be filled in in accordance with international conventions.
As of Wednesday, several countries including Ethiopia, China, the US, Indonesia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany have all moved to ground flights involving Boeing 737 Max 8 planes, citing safety concerns.
![[File Image] Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi.](https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SABC-News-Mmamoloko-Kubayi-GCIS-120x86.jpg)
