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102644
Tue, 01/26/2010 - 13:23
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Larijani condoles Lebanon on plane crash
Tehran, Jan 26, IRNA – Following the fatal plane crash, off Lebanese coasts, that claimed a number of Lebanese and other countries’ citizens, Iran's Majlis speaker sent a condolence message to his counterpart there.
In a message to Nabih Berri, Ali Larijani expressed his deep sorrow on the tragedy saying:
On behalf of the Iranian parliament members, I express my sympathies to you, the Lebanese parliament members and the dear nation, and pray for the salvation of the departed souls. May God grant patience and strength to the bereaved families.
An engine of the Ethiopian Airlines jet carrying 90 passengers and crew members caught fire at 2:30 am Monday morning local time minutes after take off from Beirut Airport and plunged into the Mediterranean Sea.
The crash killed all people on board, including 54 Lebanese nationals.
The Boeing 737-800 bound for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, was carrying eight crew members and 82 passengers when it crashed into the Mediterranean shortly after takeoff from Beirut amid hail and thunder. The American-born wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon was among the passengers.
By nightfall, rescue workers recovered about 25 bodies, the Lebanese transportation minister said.
Authorities have yet to find the flight data and voice recorders, or black boxes that could yield clues about the cause of the crash. But officials said that the ferocious overnight storm that blanketed the small country's mountains with snow was likely a major factor.
"Bad weather was apparently the cause of the crash," Defense Minister Elias Murr told reporters, according to local news outlets. "We have ruled out foul play so far."
Lebanese and Ethiopian officials quickly discounted the possibility of terrorism or sabotage in the downing of the plane. A spokesman for the Addis Ababa government said that the airline had received no prior threats.
"As of now, an act of sabotage is unlikely," Lebanese President Michel Suleiman told reporters.
The crew of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 lost contact with the Lebanese air traffic control shortly after takeoff at 2:35 a.m., officials said.
"The control tower was assisting the pilot of the plane on takeoff and suddenly lost contact for no known reason," Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi told reporters.
According to a statement issued by the Lebanese army, witnesses saw the 737 catch fire before plunging into the sea five miles off the coastal town of Naameh.
Lebanese naval and air force units along with ships attached to the long-standing UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon continued relief and rescue operations late Monday, the army said.
Marla Sanchez Pietton, wife of the recently appointed French ambassador to Lebanon, was a native of the United States, friends said. According to the airline, the passengers also included 54 Lebanese and 23 Ethiopians.
Images broadcast on local television showed ships and a helicopter at sea, presumably near the crash site, and distraught relatives and friends of the passengers weeping in agony inside the airport.
Many Ethiopian women work as maids and nannies for well-to-do Lebanese.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who toured the crash site by helicopter, declared Monday a day of mourning in honor of those who perished in the crash.
"This is a tragedy for Lebanon, and we are working to find the missing passengers,” he told reporters. “There are many theories, but the truth will be revealed by that black box.”/end
In a message to Nabih Berri, Ali Larijani expressed his deep sorrow on the tragedy saying:
On behalf of the Iranian parliament members, I express my sympathies to you, the Lebanese parliament members and the dear nation, and pray for the salvation of the departed souls. May God grant patience and strength to the bereaved families.
An engine of the Ethiopian Airlines jet carrying 90 passengers and crew members caught fire at 2:30 am Monday morning local time minutes after take off from Beirut Airport and plunged into the Mediterranean Sea.
The crash killed all people on board, including 54 Lebanese nationals.
The Boeing 737-800 bound for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, was carrying eight crew members and 82 passengers when it crashed into the Mediterranean shortly after takeoff from Beirut amid hail and thunder. The American-born wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon was among the passengers.
By nightfall, rescue workers recovered about 25 bodies, the Lebanese transportation minister said.
Authorities have yet to find the flight data and voice recorders, or black boxes that could yield clues about the cause of the crash. But officials said that the ferocious overnight storm that blanketed the small country's mountains with snow was likely a major factor.
"Bad weather was apparently the cause of the crash," Defense Minister Elias Murr told reporters, according to local news outlets. "We have ruled out foul play so far."
Lebanese and Ethiopian officials quickly discounted the possibility of terrorism or sabotage in the downing of the plane. A spokesman for the Addis Ababa government said that the airline had received no prior threats.
"As of now, an act of sabotage is unlikely," Lebanese President Michel Suleiman told reporters.
The crew of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 lost contact with the Lebanese air traffic control shortly after takeoff at 2:35 a.m., officials said.
"The control tower was assisting the pilot of the plane on takeoff and suddenly lost contact for no known reason," Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi told reporters.
According to a statement issued by the Lebanese army, witnesses saw the 737 catch fire before plunging into the sea five miles off the coastal town of Naameh.
Lebanese naval and air force units along with ships attached to the long-standing UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon continued relief and rescue operations late Monday, the army said.
Marla Sanchez Pietton, wife of the recently appointed French ambassador to Lebanon, was a native of the United States, friends said. According to the airline, the passengers also included 54 Lebanese and 23 Ethiopians.
Images broadcast on local television showed ships and a helicopter at sea, presumably near the crash site, and distraught relatives and friends of the passengers weeping in agony inside the airport.
Many Ethiopian women work as maids and nannies for well-to-do Lebanese.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who toured the crash site by helicopter, declared Monday a day of mourning in honor of those who perished in the crash.
"This is a tragedy for Lebanon, and we are working to find the missing passengers,” he told reporters. “There are many theories, but the truth will be revealed by that black box.”/end
