A Hongkonger has been confirmed as one of the 157 people killed when an Ethiopian Airlines crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday.
Immigration Department authorities in the SAR told local outlets late last night that 37-year-old Victor Tsang, who worked for the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), was among those who perished in the crash. State broadcaster CCTV reported that he was one of eight Chinese nationals on board.
Tsang, a program officer for the UNEP’s Gender and Safeguards Unit, leaves behind a wife and a son, who was born in 2016. The family of three live in Nairobi, Kenya, Apple Daily reports.
A spokesperson from the Immigration Department told HK01 that they have been in touch with Tsang’s family and will provide them with any necessary assistance.
The outlet reports that Tsang graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management, and at one point returned to the university as a guest lecturer. Prior to joining the UNEP, he worked for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome.
The UN confirmed this morning that 19 of their staff died in the crash, with the tragedy happening on the eve of the UN Environment Assembly, a five-day event in Nairobi where heads of state, government ministers, executives, and thousands of others are set to discuss policies and solutions for achieving sustainability.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply saddened at the tragic loss of lives.”
Deeply saddened by the news this morning of the plane crash in Ethiopia, claiming the lives of all on board. My heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of all the victims — including our own @UN staff — who perished in this tragedy.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 10, 2019
On Sunday, the Nairobi-bound Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed just minutes after taking off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. The jet was carrying eight crew and 149 passengers of 35 different nationalities. There were no survivors.
The Boeing that crashed was the same model as the Lion Air jet that plummeted into the Java sea in November.
Accident Bulletin no. 3
Issued on March 10, 2019 at 4:59 PM pic.twitter.com/5UOxsbl24f— Ethiopian Airlines (@flyethiopian) March 10, 2019
The BBC reports that the cause of the disaster is still not clear, but that the pilot had reported difficulties and asked to return to Addis Ababa.
Ethiopian Airlines’ CEO Tewolde Gebremariam told reporters gathered at Bole International Airport, “At this stage, we cannot rule out anything.”
“We cannot also attribute the cause to anything because we will have to comply with the international regulation to wait for the investigation.”
The incident has prompted the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC) to suspend all Chinese-operated Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.
China’s civil aviation administration has grounded Chinese-operated #737MAX aircraft. According to our database, this action affects 13 airlines and nearly 100 individual aircraft.
CAAC statement: https://t.co/Sh1gJTSeag pic.twitter.com/NeQG1bOJJT
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) March 11, 2019
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified the model of jet involved in the crash. It was a Boeing 737 MAX 8, not a 737-800 MAX. Coconuts HK apologizes for any confusion caused.
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