Eleven Arabs among victims of tragic Ethiopian plane crash

Eleven people with Arab nationalities were among the 157 victims of a Ethiopian Airlines crash close to the capital Addis Ababa.

Passengers from some 35 countries were on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 jetliner when it crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday morning from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi, Kenya.

The incident killed all eight crew and 149 passengers on board, including tourists, business travellers and UN staff headed to an international conference.

Ethiopian Airlines said six Egyptians, two Moroccans, one Saudi, one Sudanese and one Yemeni were among the dead.

Kenya had the largest number of casualties with 32, followed by Canada with 18, Ethiopia nine, then Italy, China, and the United States with eight each.

At least 22 UN staff were on the flight, many headed for an annual assembly of the UN Environment Programme which opened under a dark cloud in Nairobi on Monday.

The count is not final.

Ethiopia declared a national day of mourning for Monday amid a global stream of condolences for loved ones, many of whom gathered in tears at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Ethiopia and China have grounded fleets of Boeing 737 MAX 8 after the crash.

The plane ploughed into a field some 60 kilometres east of Addis Ababa - just six minutes after taking off.

One witness told AFP the plane was on fire before crashing, and swerving erratically.