Ethiopian Airlines has a special place in the heart of most Ethiopians. It is one of the most prestigious enterprises in the country backed by international recognition of its continent leading services and pioneering ways. And there’s certainly something about seeing the national colors majestically ascending into the sky on the back of one of EAL’s fleet of aircraft. This is also why there is some kind of mystique about the deep green uniforms – especially those of the flight and cabin crews – that affords its proud wearers some kind of looking up to despite their ever increasing numbers in recent years.
And so it is that news of the tragic accident that resulted in EAL Flight 409’s plunge into the stormy waters of the Beirut coastline, sent tremors of shock throughout every Ethiopian community in the world. Online forums were quickly inundated with expressions of shock, concern and sympathy. Most struggled to find the right words to express their own grief while trying to send a message of comfort to the loved ones of those who were on the flight.
Five days after the fatal crash, there is nothing definitive about how and why the plane went down. But at the moment, that is almost irrelevant to the cold hard fact of ninety lives lost in the blink of an eye, leaving unimaginable voids in the lives of their loved ones that only time can hope to begin filling. Along with so many other sympathizers, all we can do is offer our own thoughts and prayers to them at this time of great loss and sorrow.
Comments
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Tragedy compounded written by Amin Assi , February 01, 2010
I owe Ethiopia and Et. the respect I receive as a foreign Business Developer going in and out of the country. I flew to Beirut from Dubai to follow the sequence of events and try to pitch in through my resources as much as I can. The plane has not yet been located. It is thought today that it might be lying under a depth of 1,500m at around 10km from the shore. It is not with good-will that some are blaming the late 20 yr qualified Pilot for an error in dealing with the entry to the vicious storm. Ill claims should not find their way to the media prior to determination beyond doubt the facts to be revealed from the Black box. We pray that the box is located prior to the 20th of February, when the signal emissions of the box starts dying down, which would render it virtually impossible for the doomed structure remains to be found.
