Two British people are thought to have been on board an Ethiopian Airlines flight which crashed into the Mediterranean Sea last night.
The aircraft carrying 90 passengers burst into flames minutes after taking off from Beirut airport and fell into the sea two miles west of the coastal village of Na’ameh, which is six miles south of Beirut.
Rescue teams have so far recovered nine bodies and there have been no reports of survivors. Two British people and the French ambassador’s wife are reported to have been on the flight to Addis Ababa.
Lebanese officials said 54 of the passengers were Lebanese nationals and 22 were Ethiopians. Two passengers carried British passports, while Canadian, French, Russian, Iraqi and Syrian nationals were also travelling.
An investigation into the cause of the crash has been launched. It is thought fierce winds and driving rain that hit the area overnight could have been a factor.
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