Gov't Says 36 Kenyans Perished in Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crash, Not 32

The government has clarified that the number of Kenyans who lost their lives in last week's Ethiopian Airlines plane crash is 36.

It had earlier been reported that 32 Kenyan nationals perished in the Sunday morning accident.

Kenya's deputy ambassador to Ethiopia George Orina says the number has risen after it was established that four other Kenyans aboard the ill-fated aircraft were traveling on foreign passports.

“The number has been revised since the four were traveling on the passports of other nationalities," says Orina as quoted by the Daily Nation.

The envoy has not, however, disclosed the identities of the four Kenyans.

The plane went down six minutes after taking off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, killing all the 149 passengers and eight crew members on board.

Ethiopia Airlines is planning to compensate families of the victims of the crash.

Reports indicate that families of each of the victims will receive between $170,000 (Sh17 million) and $250,000 (Sh25 million).

The exact amount will be dictated by various factors including the age and profession of the victims.

The compensation plan will also be guided by the Montreal Convention on the compensation of flight passengers in case of injuries or death. The Convention states that compensation arises only if a passenger’s injury or death is caused by an event that is external to them.