A massive international search and rescue operation involving helicopters and ships was hastily scrambled as Lebanese President Michel Sleiman ruled out foul play and grim-faced officials played down hopes of any survivors.
Families of the passengers, some of them weeping uncontrollably, huddled at the VIP lounge of Beirut International Airport to await news of their loved ones.
Aridi said he had formed an investigative committee to determine the cause of the crash and had contacted nearby countries to assist in the search and rescue effort.
“The control tower was assisting the pilot of the plane on takeoff and suddenly lost contact for no known reason,mbt uk,” Aridi told reporters.
One employee of a gas station near the site of the crash said he heard an explosion and saw “a huge ball of fire” as the plane crashed.
Lebanon has been lashed by heavy rains and storms in the past two days that have caused flooding and damage in some parts of the country.
The Ethiopian News Agency in Addis Ababa said Ethiopian Airlines has sent a team to Beirut to investigate the crash.
The Lebanese army, navy as well as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and aircraft from France, Britain and the United States were assisting in the rescue,chi flat iron, officials said.
Debris from the Boeing 737 as well as luggage and personal belongings had started washing up on the Lebanese shoreline, officials and witnesses said.
Sleiman said authorities had ruled out terrorism or sabotage as the cause of the crash.
“We are working with all the power we have to try and find missing people from this tragedy,” Hariri told reporters. “We are working to find the black box that will tell us what really happened on the plane.”
“Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the families of those on board.”
Another witness said: “It was like the whole sea lit up.”
The passengers include 54 Lebanese, 22 Ethiopians, one French woman, one British national and seven crew members. Among the Lebanese were two children and three dual nationals.
Prime Minister Saad Hariri, parliament speaker Nabih Berri as well as a number of ministers and deputies were at the airport to comfort the families.
The French passenger was identified as Marla Sanchez Pietton, the wife of France’s ambassador to Lebanon, Denis Pietton, the French embassy told AFP.
Officials listed 83 passengers and seven crew members as having been on board the flight.
An Ethiopian airliner carrying 90 people exploded in a ball of flames and plunged into the sea off Lebanon just after takeoff in stormy weather early on Monday, officials and witnesses said.
“I know they won’t find him,” wailed one woman, referring to her husband who was on board the flight.