CNN
By Eliott C. McLaughlin and Laura Perez Maestro, CNN
Law student, scholar and politician’s family among victims in Ethiopian Airlines crash.
No survivors following Ethiopian Airlines plane crash
We will update this article as we learn more about the victims.
(CNN)Grief and sorrow know no borders, but Sunday’s Ethiopian Airline crash is truly an international tragedy.
The Nairobi, Kenya-bound plane went down within minutes of taking off from Addis Ababa.
The crash killed 157 people, seven of them crew members and one a security official, an airline spokeswoman said. The passengers were from 35 nations, the airline said, with the greatest share from Kenya.
Nineteen United Nations staff members were among those killed, the UN said.
The staffers worked for the World Food Programme, the Office of the High Commissioner on Refugees, the International Telecommunications Union, the Food and Agriculture Organization, International Organization for Migration in South Sudan, World Bank and UN Assistance Mission in Somalia, and the UN Office in Nairobi.
Though it’s not clear why UN employees were on the plane, the UN Environment Assembly was scheduled to begin Monday in Nairobi.
Here’s what we know about the names and nationalities of the passengers and the security official. The airline has not yet reported the crew members’ home countries.
Kenya — 32
Cedric Asiavugwa was a third-year student at Georgetown Law and a member of Georgetown University’s Campus Ministry, the school said. Born and raised in Mombasa, he was on his way home to Nairobi after the death of his fiancée’s mother, according to the school.
Tamarind Group CEO Jonathan Seex was on flight ET302, the hotel company said on its Facebook page.
“It is with immense shock and grief to inform you of the tragic news that Tamarind CEO, Jonathan Seex, was on the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines flight. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, the Tamarind community and all the others who have suffered unfathomable losses,” the post read.
Canada — 18
Nigerian-born scholar and author Pius Adesanmi was the director of Carleton University’s Institute of African Studies. The Ottawa university said he was among the 18 Canadians killed in the crash.
“Pius Adesanmi was a towering figure in African and post-colonial scholarship and his sudden loss is a tragedy,” said Benoit-Antoine Bacon, president and vice-chancellor.
Six members of the same Ontario family perished, according to CNN affiliate CTV. Kosha Vaidya, her husband Prerit Dixit, their teenage daughters Ashka and Anushka, and her parents Pannagesh and Hansini Vaidya were traveling to Nairobi. Kosha was born in Kenya and wanted to show her daughters where she came from, CTV reported. The family also planned to go on safari.
Jessica Hyba was among three UN High Commissioner for Refugees staff identified among the victims, according to a statement released by UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi.
Ethiopia — 9
Sara Chalachew, Getnet Alemayehu, Sintayehu Aymeku and Mulusew Alemu were all Catholic Relief Services executives and senior managers.
China — 8
China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that four of the victims worked for Chinese companies and two for the UN (including one Hong Kong resident). It said the two others were traveling for private purposes and were from Liaoning and Zhejiang.
Jin Yetao, 32, had been stationed in South Sudan for four years and promoted the “Belt and Road Initiative” in Africa, his employer — state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China — said.
The initiative “aims to help countries along the route achieve industrialized vision and to provide vocational skill training,” AVIC said.
Jin had been on a business trip to carry out education projects in Kenya, Uganda and Gabon in his role as a deputy manager in an AVIC-affiliated company, it said.
The local Zheijang provincial newspaper Qianjiang Evening reported that a local college senior was also among the victims. It said she was a journalism major who would have turned 22 next month. She had been traveling to Kenya to watch giraffes.
The woman’s college said that she had been expected to graduate in June. Pear Video reports that she was meeting up with her boyfriend in Kenya and was traveling from there.
Zhen-Zhen Huang, a World Food Program worker, also died.
Italy — 8
Sebastiano Tusa was a councilor of cultural heritage from Sicily.
Carlo Spini, his wife Gabriella Viciani, and Matteo Ravasio were all members of non-profit group Africa Tremila, based in Bergamo.
Maria Pilar Buzzetti, of the World Food Program, was also on board.
USA — 8
Brothers Melvin and Bennett Riffel were from Redding, California. Melvin’s wife Brittney, who is expecting their first child, was traveling with the pair but had already returned to California.
“We understand it was the brothers’ last adventure together before Melvin became a father,” said friend and Redding Chamber of Commerce president Jake Mangas.
France — 7
UK — 7
Joanna Toole worked at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. She was a “committed fisheries officer who was passionate about helping to make the world a better place,” the group said in a statement.
French-British Sarah Auffret, of the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, was on her way to Nairobi to talk about an environmental project.
Egypt — 6
Doaa Atef Abdel-Salam Abdel-Salam, Suzan Mohamed Abu-Farag, Nasser Fatehy Al-Azab Douban, Ashraf Mohamed Abdel Halim Al-Turkim, Abdel-Hamid Farrag Mohamed Magly and Essmat Abdel-Sattar Taha Aransa all worked for the country’s Foreign Ministry.
Germany — 5
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) staff member Anne-Katrin Feigl was due to take part in a training course in Nairobi.
“The staff are in a state of shock,” said Catherine Northing, Chief of Mission of IOM Sudan, where Feigl worked said. “Her tragic passing has left a big hole and we will all miss her greatly.”
Max Thabiso Edkins, a German-South African, worked as a communications officer for World Bank climate change advocacy platform Connect4Climate.
“Max was deeply committed to the fight against climate change and brought tremendous creativity, energy and passion to his work,” said Kristalina Georgieva, interim president of the World Bank Group.
India — 4
Slovakia — 4
Slovakian lawmaker Anton Hrnko said on Facebook that his wife, Blanka, son Martin and daughter Michala were among the victims.
Austria — 3
Russia — 3
The Russian Embassy in Ethiopia tweeted the names of three Russian citizens who were on the plane: Ekaterina Polyakova, Aleksandr Polyakov and Sergey Vyalikov.
Sweden — 3
Israel — 2
Morocco — 2
Poland — 2
Spain — 2
Tunisia — 1
Karim Saafi was a former member of the Pan African Youth Union Executive Committee.
Hong Kong — 1
Victor Tsang worked for the United Nations in Kenya, promoting environmental protection and sustainable development. He was also a guest lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Belgium — 1
Djibouti — 1
Indonesia — 1
Ireland — 1
Mozambique — 1
Norway — 1
Rwanda — 1
Jackson Musoni was a UN High Commissioner for Refugees staff member.
Saudi Arabia– 1
Sudan — 1
Nadia Adam Abaker Ali worked for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Somalia — 1
Serbia — 1
Togo — 1
Uganda — 1
Yemen — 1
Nepal — 1
Ekta Adhikar worked at the World Food Program.
Nigeria — 1
Abiodun Bashua was a retired Nigerian foreign service officer.
One passenger was traveling on a UN passport.
