Ethiopian air crash: Diplomat reveals he missed fateful flight
Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya Meles Alem Tekea (right) chats with President Uhuru Kenyatta (right) and US ambassador Kyle McCarter moments after presenting their credentials at State House in Nairobi on March 12, 2019. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- As he prepared to head to the airport that morning, his mother called wanting to speak to him before his departure to the new work station.
- On Thursday, as diplomats and senior government officials gathered at the UN in Gigiri to honour the victims, Mr Meles Alem Tekea told his story.
Mr Meles Alem Tekea, the Ethiopian ambassador to Kenya, was supposed to report to Nairobi on March 10, 2019, aboard Flight 302.
Having served at the Nairobi embassy before, his new posting wasn’t new and he was excited, except that he would be head of mission, replacing Mr Dina Mufti.
As he prepared to head to the airport that morning, his mother called wanting to speak to him before his departure to the new work station.
That call, he told the Nation on Thursday, was his saving grace.
It forced him to adjust the flights for the next one, which was to depart an hour later.
The fateful flight ET 302 crashed just moments after taking off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa.
“I could have been history,” he said. “I think my mother gave birth to me for the second time. I am living bonus years.”
THE FLIGHT
The flight was meant to be a routine shuttle between Addis Ababa and Nairobi.
That Sunday morning, with 157 people on board, it left Bole for the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
A Boeing 737 Max 8, the aircraft piloted by Kenyan and Ethiopian crew ascended into the skies as it had done for two years since it was purchased.
It fell from the skies six minutes later, boring a crater in Bishoftu, near Addis Ababa.
It became the biggest air crash on Ethiopian soil, leaving all 157 people, including nine crew members dead.
MERCY
On Thursday, as diplomats and senior government officials gathered at the UN in Gigiri to honour the victims, Mr Meles told his story.
“I was saved from the jaws of death because of the mercy of God and the prayers of my dearest mum,” he told a stunned audience, among them Ms Rose Makena. Kenya’s ambassador to the UN Office in Nairobi; Ms Zainab Hawa,
UNON Undersecretary and Director General and Ms Inger Anderson, Unep Executive Director..
“I was in Addis Ababa on my way to Nairobi when I heard about the tragic accident."
Besides shattering lives, the crash affected programmes at the UNON.
Supposed to host the Fourth United Nations Environment Assembly, many of the participants on board couldn’t make it, creating a sombre mood in the diplomatic community.
“What we can learn from this incident is that not only a celebration but also grief brings people together – Ethiopians become the spiritual-keepers of all the victims,” Mr Meles said.
Later, he admitted he had been reluctant to speak about the incident as it caused him emotional trauma.
UNITED
Thirty-two people were travelling on the Kenyan passport although several were dual nationals who used foreign passports.
“That is an emotional moment for us. Many families were shattered. I am grateful to Kenyans for standing with us and for their patience,” the ambassador told the Nation afterwards, referring to the lengthy procedure of identifying the remains.
“It shows us that in life and in death, Kenyans and Ethiopians are united.”
The memorial service also coincided with events in Addis Ababa meant to mark the first anniversary of the accident.
Preliminary investigations have shown the autopilot system of the plane contributed to the crash.
