Ethiopian Crash Rescue Efforts spikes as Sayyed Nasrallah will address victims’ families

The Lebanese people woke up Monday morning on the devastating news of the Ethiopian airliner that crashed into the Mediterranean Sea minutes after takeoff from the airport in a stormy weather. 

Flight 409, from Rafic Hariri airport to Addis Ababa, was carrying 82 passengers and eight crew members. Ethiopian Airlines said 23 Ethiopians, 51 Lebanese, two Britons, one Russian, one Canadian, one Syrian, one Iraqi, one French and one Turkish national made up the passenger list.

President Michel Suleiman on Monday ruled out terrorism in the crash of the Ethiopian plane off Lebanon and hoped to find survivors despite bad weather conditions.
"The incident is painful," Suleiman said during a press conference he held with Defense Minister Elias Murr in Yarze. The Lebanese on all levels, including security forces, are making every effort to find survivors, added."Sabotage is ruled out as of now," he told reporters. 

The president's announcement came as Premier Saad Hariri declared Monday a national day of mourning for the victims of the plane crash. MP Hariri added that priority goes to finding plane crash survivors and pledged to hunt for the black box.

Suleiman said that army helicopters and naval ships were coordinating with UNIFIL in the rescue effort amid intermittent rain, thunder and lighting.
The president put on alert all medical and security forces. He said hospitals should also be ready to receive victims.

Furthermore, Ethiopian Airlines Tuesday said it was "very unlikely" that any survivors would be found among the 90 people flying.
Lebanese Information Minister Tareq Mitri said that only 15 bodies had so far been recovered by a task force including ships from the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), a US navy destroyer as well as aircraft from France, Britain and Cyprus. 

Mean while, Health Minister Mohammad Jawad Khalifeh said Monday during a press conference at Rafik Hariri University Hospital that his ministry has almost finalized a DNA database to identify the bodies, adding that his ministry would operate a hotline (71-207326) to provide information on the identification process. 

Khalifeh also denied reports that the body of French Ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton's wife, Marla Sanchez, was found. However, the French in Embassy in Beirut yesterday assured that she was on the flight. 

In a related development, Public Works and Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi told LBCI television that the pilot of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409 ignored the air traffic controller's orders to change directions to avoid the large storm battering the Lebanese coast early Monday morning.

Aridi added that the recording from the control tower at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport shows that the air traffic controller asked the pilot of Flight 409 to make a turn, but the plane went in the opposite direction and crashed shortly thereafter.
It is unknown why the pilot disregarded the air traffic controller's advice, said Aridi, stressing that the plane vanished from the tower's radars following takeoff, and that the control tower personnel were following protocol.

"The black box, which contains the flight data recorder, will provide information as to the cause of the accident once it is recovered,"said Aridi.

Besides, several countries from around the world sent their condolences to the Lebanese people and to the families of the victims.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani offered condolences to his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri and said: "Iran is deeply saddened by the death of 90 passengers aboard the Ethiopian plane that crashed after taking off from Beirut." 

The members of the Iranian Majlis pray for patience and tolerance for the families of the victims, he added.
Jordan's King Abdullah II and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad also sent letters of condolences to President Michel Sleiman.

Moreover, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said:"Our thoughts and prayers go out for the families and friends of those who lost loved ones". 

On its part, Hizbullah issued a statement thanking the efforts of the Lebanese authorities. Hizbullah also expressed its deep condolences to the families of the crash plane victims.
Hizbullah media office added that Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will address the victims' families through Al-Manar television on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
It seems that Lebanese people are doomed to face a tragedy at the beginning of 2010. As for the South of Lebanon, It was agonizing news which staggered 17 villages for the loss of 40 victims.