All 90 people aboard an Ethiopian Airlines plane were feared dead after it plunged into the Mediterranean, minutes after taking off from Beirut in stormy weather Monday setting off a frantic search as passenger seats, baby sandals and other debris washed ashore. At least 34 bodies were recovered. Flight ET409, a Boeing 737-800, heading for Addis Ababa, disappeared off the radar some five minutes after taking off at 2:37 A.M. (0037 GMT) during a thunderstorm. The Lebanese army said the plane had broken up in the air before plummeting into rough seas and hopes of finding any survivors faded 12 hours after the crash. Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said he did not think the plane had been brought down deliberately, emphasising “a sabotage attack is unlikely.” Ethiopian Airlines CEO Girma Wake said he had spoken with Lebanese authorities who had no word of survivors. Lebanese army patrol boats, helicopters and divers searched an area off Na'ameh, 10 km south of the capital. Fifty-four of those on board were Lebanese, 22 were Ethiopian, two were British and there were also Canadian, Russian, French, Iraqi and Syrian nationals. Marla Pietton, wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon Denis Pietton, was on the plane, the French embassy said. Lebanese lawmaker Nawwar El-Saheli had been due to take the flight but canceled at the last minute because of a scheduled parliamentary meeting Monday. The Lebanese government declared a day of mourning. Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri visited the airport to meet distraught relatives.
