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Terrible news from #AddisAbaba, #Ethiopia, this morning. My heartfelt condolences to all those who have lost loved ones. The Canadian government is in close contact with Ethiopian authorities to gather additional information as quickly as possible. — Chrystia Freeland (@cafreeland) March 10, 2019

The airline says it will soon conduct forensic investigations to identify the 149 passengers and eight crew who died when a Boeing 737-8 MAX went down shortly after departing from Bole Airport in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, Kenya.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news devastating and said his thoughts are with all the victims and everyone who lost friends, family or loved ones.

The plane was one of 30 purchased and being delivered to the rapidly expanding airline. A Boeing statement in July noted the delivery of the first plane.

The Ethiopian Airlines CEO says the crashed plane had been delivered in mid-November, 2018.

Photo by Khalil Senosi / ASSOCIATED PRESS

The state-owned Ethiopian Airlines, widely considered the best-managed airline in Africa, calls itself Africa’s largest carrier and has ambitions of becoming the gateway to the continent.

It said 149 passengers and eight crew members were thought to be on the plane that crashed six minutes after departing Addis Ababa on its way to Kenya’s capital. The crash occurred around Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 50 kilometres south of Addis Ababa, at 8:44 a.m.

The airline later published a photo that appeared to show its CEO standing in the wreckage. Little of the plane could be seen in the freshly churned earth, under a blue sky.

“Tewolde Gebremariam, who is at the accident scene now, regrets to confirm that there are no survivors,” the post on social media said. “He expresses his profound sympathy and condolences to the families and loved ones of passengers and crew who lost their lives in this tragic accident.”