"Today is an unusually sad day for us" – what was seen at the scene of the crash of the Ethiopian airliner

Addis Ababa, March 11 (Xinhua) -- "Today is an unusually sad day for us" – What happened at the scene of the ethiopian airliner crash

Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Shoubao

An Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane flying from the capital Addis Ababa to Kenya crashed on a farmland about 50 kilometers east of Addis Ababa shortly after takeoff on the 10th, killing all 157 people on board, including eight Chinese citizens.

Immediately after the accident, Ethiopian Airlines CEO Teverd Gabremariam rushed to the scene. He said: "Today is an unusually sad day for us. ”

The reporter saw at the scene that there was a huge deep pit left by the crashed airliner hitting the ground in the farmland, and the debris of the fuselage and passengers' luggage were scattered around the deep pit, as well as the unusually conspicuous yellow life jacket. Excavators are doing a clean-up operation on site.

Rescuers from Ethiopian Airlines, the military and medical services have cordoned off the scene, and rescuers are still collecting debris scattered around after the plane crashed. Some villagers from surrounding villages handed over fragments of aircraft wreckage found nearby to rescuers. The bodies of the victims have now been transported from the scene.

A villager named Tesfaye told reporters: "(At that time) I heard a huge explosion, my house shook, and my family and I rushed outside. Later we learned that the plane had crashed and that smoke and fire were still rising at the site of the accident. ”

After receiving a request from the Ethiopian government department, the employees of the Seventh Bureau of China Railway, who were engaged in the construction of the nearby highway, sent personnel and mechanical equipment to the scene of the accident to participate in the rescue.

"At about 3:30 p.m. local time, we arrived at the scene and saw the plane crash into a pit several meters deep in the farmland. The plane should have hit the ground head down, and the entire aircraft had completely turned into fragments after hitting the ground, and there was no larger aircraft wreckage to be found. Wang Guanghui, general secretary of the Ethiopian regional party branch of the China Railway Seventh Bureau Overseas Company, said.

Excavators have been cleaning the deep pits, digging out some fragments of the aircraft's wings and engines. According to Wang Guanghui, the wreckage of the head of the plane may still be buried at the bottom of the deep pit, and the black box of the plane has not been found.

Terwald said at a press conference that it is too early to speculate on the cause of the accident. He said it was a brand new plane. There were no problems with the technical aspects and no problems were found with the aircraft in terms of routine maintenance inspections. "Ethiopian Airlines will work with all stakeholders, including aircraft manufacturers, the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant organisations, to further investigate the cause of the accident and release information to the outside world after determining the cause."

The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia immediately activated the emergency response mechanism, established a coordination and liaison mechanism with the Ethiopian government and Ethiopian Airlines, urged Ethiopian Airlines to establish contact with the families of Chinese citizens killed as soon as possible, coordinated the Ethiopian Embassy in China to facilitate the families of Chinese citizens killed in Ethiopia, and provided positive assistance to the families of Chinese citizens killed in dealing with the aftermath.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi has expressed his deep condolences to the families of the victims through social media. The Ethiopian parliament declared the 11th a national day of mourning.