By: Simba Russeau

Many in Lebanon were mourning the 83 victims of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 409, which crashed five minutes after take off on Monday after catching fire and plunging into the sea.

The flight, carrying 90 passengers, was heading for the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa.

Mebrat was one of many Ethiopian migrant workers in Lebanon that rushed to the airport to find out if members of their community were on board.

“I was at the shop downstairs from my employers house when the owner told me that an Ethiopian airliner had crashed. But he said that only Lebanese had died,” says Mebrat. “When I found out that there were Ethiopians on the plane I got worried because some of the women were just released from the prisons and returning home.”

According to Mebrat, when she other women arrived to the airport they saw Lebanese who had lost loved ones yelling at the Ethiopian women who were also mourning the deaths of their friends.

“It was horrible, they were blaming us. I mean we also lost people. You know also during 2006 war many Lebanese were lashing out at the Ethiopian community and suspecting us of being with Israel and America. Why do they treat us like this? We are human beings,” she adds. “Honestly, at first I was happy when I heard that only Lebanese died because of the way the Lebanese abuse and mistreat domestic workers in this country and many of the Lebanese on the plane were actually business people who steal from Africa.”

Throughout the night on Sunday into the early hours of Monday fierce storms continued to rattle Lebanon. The power would flicker on and off, thunder and lighting was raging and one individual in Ethiopia commenting on the Ethiopian news site Nazret had this to say:

“I know my question is too simplistic but if it is weather related who is responsible for giving the take off clearance in such dangerous conditions?”

Last night, Lebanese television confirmed the deaths on board including fifty-seven year-old Afif Krisht who was returning to his business in Angola. According to reports, Ethiopian airlines has always been a preferred choice for Lebanese wanting to access the African continent since the staff are well trained and the aircrafts are usually up to European standards.

However, in an interview on Lebanese television, Defense Minister, Elias Murr, accused the pilot of not following take-off instructions from the control tower.

“A command tower recording shows the tower told the pilot to turn to avoid the storm, but the plane went in the opposite direction,” Murr said on local Lebanese television.

“We do not know what happened or whether it was beyond the pilot’s control.”

Ethiopian officials, addressing the press in the capital of Addis Ababa, were quick to confirm that the captain of Ethiopian Airlines was a two-decade veteran pilot with the company.

“They cannot speak bad about our airlines. This is only a way to keep placing blame on us,” Mebrat says. “Our planes are the best in all of Africa.”

Escaping hardships

Like many of the Lebanese who live and work in Africa to provide a better life for their families, the Ethiopian women, mainly employed as housemaids, were escaping poverty and high unemployment for what they thought would be greener pastures in Lebanon.

However, upon their arrival, many are subjected to abuse, confinement and conditions akin to abuse. Already several cases of migrant domestic workers committing suicide on a weekly basis have surfaced in the local Lebanese press.

“It so sad to hear about the loss of life. Especially, the domestic workers who deserved a break from the hard life they endured in Lebanon. Hopefully some will make it!” says Ethiopian national Alena.

There are more than 20,000 Ethiopian migrant workers in Lebanon. According to members of the Lebanon’s Ethiopian community, many of the women who were travelling on Monday were recently released from prison, others had escaped abuse by their employers and some were returning home after completing their three-year contract.

“My cousin, Tigist Shakur 35, spent a year working as a maid in Lebanon and decided to return to Ethiopia because of abuse by her employers,” says Tewodros Abdisa. “We are still hoping to hear that she is alive.”

Those hopes were shattered on Tuesday as several local Ethiopian news sites released the names of the women who passed on Monday and Tigist was among them.

1) Addis Abera Demise (Ethiopia)

2) Bahrnesh Megersa (Ethiopia)

3) Kidist Wolde Mariam (Ethiopia)

4) Elisabeth Tilhum Habtermariam (Ethiopia)

5) Rahel Tadese (Ethiopia)

6) Etenesh Admasie (Ethiopia)

7) Woinshet Meugistu Melaku (Ethiopia)

8) Azeb Betre Kebede (Ethiopia)

9) Tigist Shikur Hajana (Ethiopia)

10) Hani Gebre Gembezo (Ethiopia)

11) Alunesh Tkele (Ethiopia)

12) Shitu Nuri (Ethiopia)

13) Selam Zigdaya (Ethiopia)

14) Yikma Mohamed (Ethiopia)

15) Seble Agezc (Ethiopia)

16) Aynalem Tessema (Ethiopia)

17) Eyerus Alem Desta (Ethiopia)

18) Mekiya Sirur (Ethiopia)

19) Lakesh Zeleke (Ethiopia)

20) Tigist Anura (Ethiopia)

21) Askalesh Soboka (Ethiopia)

22) Meselu Beshah (Ethiopia)

23) Julia Mohammed al-Haj, 3, and Mohammed Hasan Kreik

24) Hanna Nakhoul Kreidi (Lebanon)

25) Haidar Hasan Marj (Lebanon)

26) Ali Youssef Jaber (Lebanon

27) Ali Ahmed Jaber (Lebanon)

28) Abbas Mohammed Jaber (Lebanon)

29) Mohammed Mustapha Badawi (Lebanon)

30) Khalil Ibrahim Saleh (Lebanon)

31) Hasan Adnan Kreik (Lebanon)

32) Saeed Abdel Hasan Zahr (Lebanon)

33) Hussein Ali Farhat (Lebanon)

34) Mohammed Hasan Kreik (Lebanon)

35) Ali Suheil Yaghi (Lebanon)

36) Rawan Hasan Wazneh (Lebanon)

37) Bassem Qassem Khazaal (Lebanon)

38) Haifa Ahmed Wazneh (Lebanon)

39) Ali Ahmed Tajeddine (Lebanon)

40) Tanal Abdallah Fardoun (Lebanon)

41) Mustafa Haitham Arnaout (Lebanon)

42) Fouad Mahmoud al-Laqiss (Lebanon)

43) Mohammed Kamal Akoush (Lebanon)

44) Tony Elias al-Zakhem (Lebanon)

45) Hamzeh Ali Jaafar (Lebanon)

46) Hasan Mohammed Issawi (Lebanon)

47) Hasan Kamal Ibrahim (Lebanon)

48) Ghassan Ibrahim Qaterji (Lebanon)

49) Haifa Ibrahim al-Farran (Lebanon)

50) Hussein Youssef Haj Ali (Lebanon)

51) Fares Rashid Zebian (Lebanon)

52) Farid Saad Moussa (Lebanon)

53) Mohammed Ali Qatbi (Lebanon)

54) Yasser Youssef Mehdi (Lebanon)

55) Anees Mustafa Safa (Lebanon)

56) Hussein Moussa Barakat (Lebanon)

57) Antoine Toufiq al-Hayek (Lebanon)

58) Elias Antonius Rafeeh (Lebanon)

59) Tareq George Barakat (Lebanon)

60) Khalil Nami al-Khazen (MTV official)

61) Rana Youssef al-Harakeh (Lebanon)

62) Mohammed Abdel Hussein al-Haj (Lebanon)

63) Julia Mohammed al-Haj (Lebanon)

64) Hussein Kamal Hayek (Lebanon)

65) Asaad Masoud al-Fghali (Lebanon)

66) Ziad Naeem Qosseifi (Lebanon)

67) Rida Ali Mistokirdi (Lebanon)

68) Albert Jirji Assal (Lebanon)

69) Imad Ahmed Hather (Lebanon)

70) Fouad Mohammed Jaber (Lebanon)

71) Khalil Mohammed Madani (Lebanon)

72) Hasan Mohammed Abdel Hasan Tajeddine (Lebanon)

73) Yasser Abdel Hussein Ismail (Lebanon)

74) Jamal Ali Khatoun (Lebanon)

75) Afif Krisht (Lebanese-British)

76) Abbas Hawilli (Lebanese-Canadian)

77) Ana Mohammed Abes (Lebanese-Russian)

78) Akram Jassem Mohamed (Iraq)

79) Kevin Graingur (Britain)

80) Mohamed Abdel Rahman Saii (Syria)

Both Lebanon and Ethiopia have declared a national day mourning to honor the lives of the victims.

By: Simba Russeau