Sunday, 24 Nov 2024

Ethiopian Airlines plane was carrying at least four UN officials

NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) – The Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed on Sunday morning (March 10) may have been carrying people set to attend a major United Nations environmental conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

The airline confirmed that four passengers were carrying UN passports, more than the one that officials had originally reported.

“We are liaising with officials on who may have been on the plane,” a UN Environment spokeswoman based in Nairobi said by email.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres are among those expected to attend the UN Environment Assembly set to begin Monday, along with more than 4,700 heads of state, ministers and executives.

Topics include sustainable consumption and production, plastic pollution, food waste and climate change.

Outcomes from the meeting are to set the global environmental agenda and boost chances of success in the Paris Agreement and 2030 Agenda, according to a UN press release on Sunday.

The Boeing 737 Max crashed shortly after takeoff from Ethiopia’s capital, claiming 157 lives in the second deadly accident in five months for the new version of the company’s best-selling jet.

The passenger list includes 32 Kenyans and 18 Canadians.

The crash comes as “devastating news,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a tweet.

“UN Environment is deeply saddened by the news of the Ethiopian Airlines accident. We are following developments closely,” said a different spokeswoman by email, citing the UN’s most recent statement.

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