Advertisement

Ethiopian Airlines says DNA testing of crash victims could take 6 months

Click to play video: 'The Canadian victims of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster'
The Canadian victims of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster
WATCH: The Canadian victims of the Ethiopian Airlines disaster – Mar 11, 2019

ADDIS ABABA, March 16 (Reuters) – Ethiopian Airlines said on Saturday that DNA testing of the remains of the 157 passengers on board flight 302 may take up to six months as it offered bereaved families charred earth from the plane crash site to bury.

A team of investigators in Paris have begun examining the black box recorders recovered from the site where the Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane crashed into a field on Sunday after taking off from Addis Ababa. Passengers from more than 30 nations were aboard.

As families wait for the results from the investigation into the cause of the crash, Ethiopian Airlines is planning to hold a service on Sunday in Addis Ababa, at the Kidist Selassie, or Holy Trinity Cathedral, where many of the country’s past rulers are buried beneath its pink stone spires.

READ MORE: Families of Ethiopia plane crash victims storm out of meeting with airline

“We were told by the company that we will be given a kilo (of earth) each for burial at Selassie Church for a funeral they will organize,” said one family member who asked not to be named.

Story continues below advertisement

Papers given to the families at the Skylight Hotel on Saturday said death certificates would be issued within two weeks, and an initial payment made to cover immediate expenses.

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The return of remains – most of which are charred and fragmented – would take up to six months, the papers said, but in the meantime earth from the crash site would be given.

WATCH: Ethiopian Airlines victims’ family and friends longing for answers

Click to play video: 'Ethiopian Airlines victims’ family and friends longing for answers'
Ethiopian Airlines victims’ family and friends longing for answers

Abdulmajid Sheriff, a Kenyan whose Yemeni brother-in-law died, said they had already held a service.

“We are Muslims, we didn’t care about that (earth). We did yesterday our prayers at the mosque and that is all for us.”

IN PHOTOS: Ethiopian Airlines crash triggers an outpouring of grief where it happened

Experts say it is too soon to know what caused the crash, but aviation authorities worldwide have grounded Boeing’s 737 MAXs, as concerns over the plane caused the company’s share price to tumble by around 10 percent.

Story continues below advertisement

Flight data has already indicated some similarities with a crash by the same model of plane during a Lion Air flight in October. All 189 people onboard were killed. Both planes crashed within minutes of take off after pilots reported problems.

WATCH: Memorials held for some Ethiopian Airlines crash victims

Click to play video: 'Memorials held for some Ethiopian Airlines crash victims'
Memorials held for some Ethiopian Airlines crash victims

The grounding of Boeing’s 737 MAX jets after the crash in Ethiopia has had no immediate financial impact on airlines using the planes, but it will get painful for the industry the longer they do not fly, companies and analysts said on Friday

Boeing plans to release upgraded software for its 737 MAX in a week to 10 days, sources familiar with the matter said.

The U.S. planemaker has been working on a software upgrade for an anti-stall system and pilot displays on its fastest-selling jetliner in the wake of the deadly Lion Air crash.

Advertisement

Sponsored content

AdChoices