Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crash In Photos: Mangled Metal, Despair

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Anxious and panicked families in Ethiopia and Kenya rushed to airports Sunday and broke down into tears upon learning they'd never see a loved one again. An Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed minutes after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing about 157 people on board. There were no survivors.

The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known, but flight trackers showed the plane's vertical speed was unstable after takeoff. Visibility was clear at the time.

A photo posted by the airline showed CEO Tewolde GebreMariam at the wreckage site, a dark brown crater carved out of a golden field. The airline said it believes 157 people were on board, including 149 passengers.

See also: Ethiopian Airlines Plane Crashes; 8 Americans Among Dead

The photos below show twisted and mangled metal at the wreckage site, as well as distraught families at airports in Addis Ababa and Nairobi.

A family member of a victim involved in a plane crash talks on a mobile phone at Addis Ababa international airport Sunday. Anxious families rushed to airports in Addis Ababa and the destination, Nairobi.

Family members of the victims involved in a plane crash react at Addis Ababa international airport Sunday. Anxious families rushed to airports in Addis Ababa and the destination, Nairobi.

Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, to travel to a hotel to receive more information. Anxious families rushed to airports in Addis Ababa and the destination, Nairobi.

A piece of the wreckage of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed shortly after takeoff lies at the scene at Hejere near Bishoftu, or Debre Zeit, some 31 miles south of Addis Ababa, in Ethiopia on Sunday.

In this photo taken from the Ethiopian Airlines Facebook page, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Tewolde Gebremariam, looks at the wreckage of the plane that crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday.

Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash board a bus at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday, to travel to a hotel to receive more information.

Ethiopian Airlines CEO Tewolde Gebremariam, seated right, holds a press briefing at the headquarters of Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Sunday.

Family members arrive at Bole International airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Sunday to check on information on the Ethiopian flight that crashed.

Relatives of the victims involved in a plane crash wait for information Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday.