An Edmonton woman and her daughter are among 18 Canadians confirmed dead in a plane crash on Sunday in Ethiopia.

A family member confirmed to CBC News that Amina Ibrahim Odowa, 33, and her daughter Sofia Abdulkadir, 5, were killed when an Ethiopian Airlines jetliner crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa.

Odowa's two surviving daughters, ages three and seven, are in the care of their grandmother in Edmonton.

None of the 157 passengers and crew members on board survived.

The plane was destined for Nairobi. After takeoff, the Ethiopian Airlines pilot sent out a distress call and was cleared to return to the airport.

It's not known yet what caused the Boeing 737 MAX 8 to crash.

Odowa's brother, Mohamed Ali, learned early Sunday morning that his sister and niece were on the flight. They flew out of Toronto a day earlier. He spoke to Odowa just before take-off.

"I told her good luck. You know, see you soon," said Ali.

'Such devastating news'

Odowa and her daughter were on their way to Kenya to visit family. Their flight from Toronto landed in Addis Ababa at around 7 a.m. local time. They were scheduled to fly to Nairobi 75 minutes later.

When ​Ali heard about the crash, he said he hoped Odowa and her daughter had missed the tight connection, as he had often done in the past. But their flight to Nairobi was delayed, giving them enough time to make it.

A call to the airline confirmed Ali's sister and niece were on the downed flight.

"I was shocked," Ali said. "Then I knew it was real. I called my mom and it was very shocking for her too. Such devastating news. It's something you don't expect ... yesterday they were with you here, today they're no more."

Ali had considered joining them and had even reserved a spot on the same flight but ultimately cancelled.

Mohamed Ali says his sister was well-loved and his niece was very funny with a mind of her own. (Gary Morton)

Ali smiled as he talked about his niece — a funny, spirited young girl who once tried to convince him to travel with her to Kenya to see friends she made on a previous visit.

"She was the favourite child of everybody in the family. She had her own mind, and she always wanted things done the way she liked," he said. "She was amazing."

'She was the favourite child of everybody in the family. She had her own mind, and she always wanted things done the way she liked - Mohamed Ali

His sister, who was the youngest sibling, lived with their mother. Odowa looked after her mom and worked for a small company in Edmonton for nine years, Ali said.

"She's always the one who is the connection point with our family," he said. "And she has a lot of friends. I mean if you look at the Internet today and you type her name, you will hear from everybody how amazing she was."

Ali says his family is now trying to seek closure by finding a way to bring home the remains of their loved ones.

"We don't know what's going to happen next," Ali said. "Everything is in the dark."

People from around the world, including Alberta Premier Rachel Notley, offered their condolences on social media to the victims' families.