Ethiopia declares Monday a day of mourning

Ethiopia’s House of People’s Representatives declares tomorrow a national day of mourning for all 157 victims of Sunday’s crash of an Ethiopian Airlines plane shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office says the cause of the crash will be “communicated promptly to the public as updates come in.”

The jetliner carrying 157 people crashed shortly after takeoff from the Ethiopian capital this morning, killing everyone aboard, authorities said. At least 35 nationalities were among the dead, including 2 Israelis.

It was not clear what caused the Ethiopian Airlines plane to go down in clear weather. But the accident was strikingly similar to last year’s crash of a Lion Air jet that plunged into the Java Sea, killing 189 people. Both crashes involved the Boeing 737 Max 8, and both happened minutes after the jets became airborne.

— Agencies