A passenger plane with 157 people on board has crashed
One Irish person is confirmed to have been on board an Ethiopian Airlines plane which crashed this morning.
149 passengers and 8 crew were on board the Boeing 737 aircraft.
It was en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi.
It broke contact with air traffic control just six minutes after taking off,
The plan crashed near the town of Bishoftu, south-east of the capital.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is standing by to provide consular assistance.
The country's prime minister has tweeted his "deepest condolences" to the families of those on board.
The Office of the PM, on behalf of the Government and people of Ethiopia, would like to express it’s deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 on regular scheduled flight to Nairobi, Kenya this morning.
— Office of the Prime Minister - Ethiopia (@PMEthiopia) 10 March 2019
