BC man identified as one of the victims in deadly plane crash
A man from Vancouver Island has been identified as one of the victims on the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed on Sunday, killing all 157 passengers and crew onboard.
See also
- 18 Canadians among the dead after Ethiopian Airlines flight crashes just after takeoff
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Flight ET 302 took off on the morning of March 10 at 8:38 am local time from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on route to Nairobi, Kenya. The airport lost contact with plane just six minutes later, at 8:44 am.
Micah Messent was one of the passengers 0n the plane.
The day before the flight, Messent posted on Instagram that he was “pretty stoked to announce that I’ve been selected by @unacanada as a member of their delegation for the 4th @unitednations Assembly of the Environment!”
He added that he was heading to Kenya, where he would have the chance to “meet with other passionate youth and leaders from around the world and explore how we can tackle the biggest challenges that are facing our generation.”
Following the crash, tributes and thoughts poured in on his post.
“An unbelievable tragedy and I am frozen with disbelief,” wrote one person. “My prayers are with your family and to help them through their this heartbreaking grief. A tragic loss for all of us.”
Another called his passing a tragic loss for the world. “My heart is broken for the loss of Micah and all the other young people who had so much potential. My heart goes out to his family and to all the other families mourning their loved ones today.”
One person commented that “if anyone was going to change the world it would have been him.”
View this post on Instagram
As of Monday, authorities are still investigating what caused the plane to crash.
The cause of the crash is currently unknown. In a press conference on Sunday, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines — who had visited the crash site — stated:
It is too early to speculate the cause of the accident and further investigation will be carried out to find out the cause of the accident in collaboration with all stakeholders including Boeing, Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority and other international entities to maintain the international standard and information will be provided once the cause is identified.
A senior captain of the airlines was piloting the plane.
According to the airline, among the 149 passengers and eight crew members were 35 different nationalities, including 18 Canadians.
The B-737-800MAX had flown from Johannesburg to Addis earlier Sunday morning, and had undergone a “rigorous first check maintenance” on February 4, 2019.
The Airline has set up emergency hotlines for those seeking more information on the flight and those on board.
Airport emergency hotline
(251)11 5 17 87 33
(251)115 17 47 35
(251)11 5 17 41 00For all information necessary
(251)11 5 17 89 45
(251)11 5 17 89 87
(251)11 5 17 82 31
(251)11 5 17 85 58— Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) March 10, 2019
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