Italy's environment minister Sergio Costa has tweeted condolences for the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines jet that crashed minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa on Sunday, killing all 157 people on board.
"Our thoughts are with the families of the victims of the plane that came down in Ethiopia," read Costa's tweet.
"Those killed included NGO volunteers who do vital work, a Sicilian regional councillor and archaeologist, aid workers and delegates to a UN environment conference where I will be heading tomorrow," it added.
Passengers from over 30 countries were on the doomed flight and the victims included 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians and eight Italians. Among the dead were 22 United Nations staff, many heading for an assembly of the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi.
The causes of the crash, which occurred six minutes after take-off, are not yet known.
