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Lebanese official claims Ethiopia jet crash caused by lightning strike

Lebanese official claims Ethiopia jet crash caused by lightning strike

According to a senior Lebanese official, who asked to remain anonymous because he was revealing confidential information, the Ethiopian plane was in flames before crashing early Monday due to a lightning strike and structural failure. Speaking to local media in Beirut, the official claimed the plane must have run out of control after the strike and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.

The Ethiopian Airlines passenger plane, ET409, was Addis Ababa-bound and carried 90 people on board. According to the airlines CEO, there have been no survivors found and the stormy weather has affected the search and rescue operations.

According to the Lebanese official, the plane disappeared from the radar after making a turn as the result of the powerful strike during the thunderstorms. Eyewitness accounts close to the crash site in Naameh, about 3.5km from the coast, confirmed the plane was engulfed in fire following a lightning strike.

The bodies of dozens of people have been recovered. The plane, Boeing 737-800, was carrying mostly Lebanese and Ethiopians as well as passengers from Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Russia, Canada, Syria and Iraq.

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Comments 3 comments for this article
Added: January 28, 2010. 05:50 PM GMT
Dumbass comment
It wasn't far away from the airport and it crashed withibn Lebanese waters.

So why do you have the urge to blame Israel? Are you a Hezbollah terrorist? Dummy
Not Anonymous
Added: January 28, 2010. 07:04 AM GMT
Ok , be with me for a second
I believe the Israeli Military have shot the plane down as it was of course(as the tower-man said) and probably violated their airspace
Anonymous
Added: January 27, 2010. 02:48 AM GMT
We need explanations and verifications for the following reports:

1. A “report also speaks to strong indications that one passenger associated with the terrorist group Hezbollah was on board the aircraft. This passenger was identified as a member of “the Tajeddine family.” There has been no official confirmation or denial of this passenger being on board the aircraft” at http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/19391.

2. “Israel is heading toward a new war with Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah, a cabinet minister warned Saturday (January 23, 2010)” http://www.newsmeat.com/news/meat.php?articleId=67601312&channelId=2951&buyerId=newsmeatcom&buid=3281. And “It is being reported in Beirut this morning (January 25, 2010) that at exactly 3 a.m. Beirut time, a supporter of the National Lebanese Resistance led by Hezbollah, on duty above the Mediterranean coastal town of Saadyat, between Damour and Saida was watching the skies of over Beirut for signs of Israeli aircraft, which daily violate Lebanese airspace. What sources report to this observer was that he saw a Boeing 737-800 aircraft which had taken off from Rafiq Hariri airport gain altitude as it headed for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Hezbollah, on full military alert these days, presumably called in the report to Al Manar (the Dawn) station which it founded in 1991 and which since 2004 has been on one o the various US Terrorism lists” at http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL1001/S00166.htm.
Anonymous