Ethiopian 737 crashes into Mediterranean

AN Ethiopian Airlines 737 has crashed into the sea shortly after take off from Beirut (Lebanon). The aircraft, bound for Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), apparently was already in flames when it came down with over 90 on board.“Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 crashed about five minutes after takeoff at 2.30 am (1130 AEDT Monday) with 83 passengers and nine crew members,” said an airport official who saw the crash: a giant ball of fire crashing 3.5 km west of the town of Na’ameh, itself 15 km south of Beirut.As of Monday afternoon, over 20 bodies have been recovered.Lebanon’s president, Michel Suleiman, said that at this stage terrorism is not suspected.Ethiopian Airlines said: “A team is already working on gathering all pertinent information. An investigative team has already been dispatched to the scene and we will release further information as further updates are received.”