Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crashes into Mediterranean Sea

Eyewitnesses say they saw a ball of fire in the sky before Addis Ababa-bound Flight ET409 fell into the sea after taking off in stormy weather. Photo by abbaymedia.com

An Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane with 89 people on board has crashed into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after take-off from Beirut airport.

Eyewitnesses say they saw a ball of fire in the sky before Addis Ababa-bound Flight ET409 fell into the sea after taking off in stormy weather, the BBC reported.

At least four bodies have been recovered.

Most of those on board were Lebanese or Ethiopian, and two Britons of Lebanese origin were also on the passenger list.

The other passengers included citizens of Turkey, France, Russia, Canada, Syria and Iraq, Ethiopian Airlines said in a statement on its website.

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