On March 10, a terrible tragedy gripped the world when the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after taking off near the town of Bishoftu killing 157 individuals on board. The accident is the deadliest in the history of the aircraft surpassing fatal hijack of 1961 and crash of 2010. Following the accident, it was reported that all the Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft under the Ethiopian Airlines were grounded for inspection. India has not followed through with this instead announcing a raft of interim check, safety, and maintenance measurements for airlines operation the Max 8.

Scheduled to fly from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, the flight went off radar soon after take off with the pilot reporting a problem and asking for permission to return before the crash. Four members of the an Indian family were among the dead in the crash. The couple based out of Surat and their children were living in Canada and were heading to Kenya for a safari experience.

The cause of the crash still hasn't been determined, but the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been recovered which should shed some light on the investigation. 

People from 35 nationalities are said to have passed away in the horrific accident. The Indian Embassy in Ethiopia also added that a doctor based out of the US and a United Nations Development Program consultant were other Indians who have died in the crash.