The UN environment assembly opened in Nairobi with many of the participants in mourning for friends and colleagues who were on the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed on its way to the Kenyan capital.

At least 22 UN staff were among the 157 killed in the crash, along with an as-yet-unknown number of scientists, activists and humanitarian campaigners who were heading to the international organisation’s African hub.

The UN flag flew at half-mast as participants arrived for work at UN agencies in Nairobi as well as the first plenary session of the environment assembly. Following a minute’s silence, speaker after speaker expressed sympathies.

“We have lost fellow delegates, interpreters and UN staff,” said the president of the assembly, Siim Kiisler, the Estonian environment minister. “I express my condolences to those who lost loved ones in the crash.”

“The environmental community is in mourning today,” said Joyce Msuya, the acting executive director of UN Environment. “Many of those that lost their lives were en route to provide support and participate in the UN environment assembly. We lost UN staff, youth delegates travelling to the assembly, seasoned scientists, members of academia and other partners.”

Michael Møller, the director general of the UN European headquarters in Geneva, told about 150 personnel who had gathered to observe a minute’s silence: “It is one of the biggest catastrophes we have had in years.”

The names of all of the victims were not immediately released while authorities notified the families, prompting delegations to desperately check the travel itineraries of their members. Some people present knew several of the dead.

Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 crashed minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa on Sunday morning. The control tower lost contact shortly after the pilot reported technical problems. Wreckage was later discovered near the town of Bishoftu, 39 miles (62km) south-east of the Ethiopian capital.

Aviation authorities were investigating how a new plane with an experienced pilot suddenly fell from the sky. One focus will be the design of the Boeing 737 Max 8, a model that has been in commercial operation for less than three years and was involved in a similar crash soon after takeoff in Indonesia last year. China and Ethiopia have grounded these planes until the cause of the accident is clear.

The accident has sent shockwaves through the UN community. “As soon as people started hearing of the accident, they began to wonder whether anyone they knew was onboard. The uncertainty affects everyone,” said Peder Jensen, the head of the secretariat for the UNEP international resource panel. “People we worked with are no longer with us. It’s very emotional.”

The victims were of various ages, nationalities and backgrounds. Thirty-two were Kenyan. Among them was the Catholic missionary George Mukua Kageche and the journalist Tony Ngare. One family in Nakuru lost five family members, according to local TV.

Canada suffered 18 fatalities, several of whom were part of a youth delegation to the UN assembly. Among them was 24-year-old Danielle Moore, a biology graduate who volunteered for the Canada Parks and Wilderness Society and the Ocean Wise marine environment group.

On her last Facebook post, she wrote about her excitement at being selected to attend the UN assembly. “Over the next week I’ll have the opportunity to discuss global environmental issues, share stories, and connect with other youth and leaders from all over the world,” she wrote. “I feel beyond privileged to be receiving this opportunity, and want to share as much with folks back home.”

The seven British victims included Joanna Toole from Exmouth, who worked for the fisheries and aquaculture department of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. On Twitter, she described herself as an ocean protectionist, lover of yoga and vegan foodie who was passionate about the planet. Her boss, Manuel Barange, said he was profoundly sad. “A wonderful human being, who loved her work with a passion,” he tweeted.

Another of those on the plane was Sarah Auffret, a French-British polar tourism expert and University of Plymouth graduate who was planning to participate in panels about plastic pollution in the oceans. She had led the Clean Sea project of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators, which aimed to cut use of single-use plastics on cruise ships and to involve passengers in beach clean-ups.

Her employers said they were shocked and heartbroken: “Words cannot describe the sorrow and despair we feel. We have lost a true friend and beloved colleague.”



