All 149 passengers and 8 crew on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 302/10 died after it came down in a farmland 37 miles from the Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, six minutes after takeoff.
The crash site has turned into a huge crater with debris from the plane strewn over a large area.
A committee comprising Ethiopian Airlines, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority, and Ethiopian Transport Authority has been set up to carry out the investigations.
“Once the identities of the deceased are identified, their bodies will be delivered to their families and loved ones” the airlines statement said.
Ethiopian Airlines said it has contacted families of the victims over the tragedy, the first major aviation disaster in Africa since the turn of the new year.
“Investigation will be carried out to determine the cause of the accident, in collaboration with all stakeholders including the aircraft manufacturer Boeing, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and other international entities” the statement said.
Ethiopian Airlines is Africa’s biggest carrier and has a reliable safety record.