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Indonesian killed in ET302 crash was UN officer, ministry confirms
The Indonesian Embassy in Rome will coordinate with its counterpart in Addis Ababa as well as the WFP head office in Rome to transport the victim’s remains to her family in the Italian capital.
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A man carries a piece of debris on his head at the crash site of a Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines flight near Bishoftu, a town some 60 kilometers southeast of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday. A Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Boeing crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa that same day, killing all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists, business travelers and UN staff members. (AFP/Michael Twelde)
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n Indonesian passenger of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 that crashed on Sunday was an on-duty United Nations officer, the Foreign Ministry has confirmed.
The plane, which departed Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa at 8:38 a.m. local time, crashed around 6 minutes after takeoff, killing all the 149 passengers and eight crew members on board.
“The ministry can confirm that the Indonesian passenger was a woman living in Rome, Italy, and was working with the UN World Food Program [WFP]. She was traveling with other WFP staffers from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, Kenya, to attend a meeting,” ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told journalists on Monday.
The ministry chose not to reveal the victim’s identity to respect her family’s privacy.
Arrmanatha added that the Indonesian Embassy in Rome would coordinate with its counterpart in Addis Ababa as well as the WFP head office in Rome to transport the victim’s remains to her family in the Italian capital.
Both officials from the Indonesian Embassy in Rome and the WFP office have offered their assistance to the families of seven WFP staff members onboard the crashed flight.
“The WFP family mourns today — WFP staff were among those aboard the Ethiopian Airlines flight. We will do all that is humanly possible to help the families at this painful time,” WFP executive director David Beasley wrote on his Twitter account, @WFPChief.
In a statement issued by the UN body, Beasley said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had called him to “express his solidarity and support for the WFP family”.
The secretary-general wrote on his Twitter account that he was “deeply saddened by the news [...] of the plane crash in Ethiopia”.
There were at least 19 people affiliated with various UN bodies that were on board the ET302 flight.
Deeply saddened by the news this morning of the plane crash in Ethiopia, claiming the lives of all on board. My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims — including our own @UN staff — who perished in this tragedy.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 10, 2019
“My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims — including our own UN staff — who perished in this tragedy,” Guterres wrote.
