Colleagues pay respects to Ethiopia plane crash victims

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia

Tears of grief were shed on Monday as pilots, flight attendants and other staff of Ethiopian Airlines paid their respects to eight crew members of the crashed Et-302 flight that left all 157 people on board dead.

A Boeing 737 Max 8 plane bound for Kenya was on a routine flight from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa when it crashed on Sunday morning near the central town of Bushoftu, 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of the capital.

Pilots and staff filled the premises and chambers of the country’s pilots’ association near Addis Ababa’s Bole International Airport.

Tears rushed down their cheeks as sighs of grief and wailing could be heard from the crowd and pilots and attendants recounted their experiences with the victims whose photos were displayed.

Captain Behirudin Abdo is a senior pilot with Ethiopian Airlines.

He told Anadolu Agency that at a tough and testing time like this "we should come out stronger to show the whole world our resilience."

"It is very heart breaking to lose such young but very able pilots and experienced crew in a snap," he said.

Danish pilot Michael Joster told Anadolu Agency that he joined Ethiopian Airlines two and a half years ago.

"I have tried [experienced] this before with another airline many years ago. And I thought I would never have to see it again," Joster said.

"I flew together with Ama [one of the hostesses killed in the crash], me, her and the other crew. We spent seven days together. She showed me how strong Ama is. We had a fantastic time together," he said.

Struggling with tears, he said she was "beautifully married" and the mother of one child.