Ethiopian minister says black box in good shape

AP  |  Addis Ababa 

Ethiopia's says the black box from the plane crash one week ago is in good condition.

told reporters on Sunday evening that data so far shows there is a "clear similarity" between the crash and an earlier one in that involved the same type of plane.

Officials say 157 people from 35 different were killed when the Nairobi-bound plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

The crash of Flight 302 and an earlier crash have prompted the and other to ground 737 Max 8 planes.

The US-based faces the challenge of proving the jets are safe to fly amid suspicions that faulty and contributed to the two crashes in less than six months.

Thousands mourned the Ethiopian plane crash victims on Sunday, accompanying 17 empty caskets draped in the national flag through the streets of the capital as some victims' relatives fainted and fell to the ground.

The service came one day after officials began delivering bags of earth to family members of the 157 victims of the crash instead of the remains of their loved ones because the identification process is expected to take such a long time.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, March 18 2019. 11:20 IST