The UN confirmed that 19 of its staff were aboard the plane crashed in Ethiopia

The plane crash that occurred Sunday in Ethiopia killed 157 people. Among the victims are 19 people who have worked for several agencies or organizations affiliated to the UN.

"According to early indications, 19 members of UN affiliated organizations would have died," said the director of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in a statement released in Geneva. Antonio Vitorino. "The tragedy is deeply affecting the entire family of the UN," he said.

In addition to IOM, the World Food Program (WFP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the World Bank lost employees, said Vitorino.

The Director of the World Food Program, David Beasley, who confirmed the death of seven staff members, said: "While we are in mourning, consider that each of these WFP colleagues is willing to travel and work away from home and their loved ones to contribute to make the world a better place to live. "

In a statement, Geneva-based UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi did not confirm the number of his colleagues among the victims, but said that his agency had suffered a "great loss".

"Independent interpreters" attending a United Nations conference on the environment, scheduled for March 11 and 15 in Nairobi, were also in the air, had already declared another source, which had initially coded at least a dozen deceased members of the multilateral organization.

The Secretary General, António GuterresFor his part, he stated that he was "deeply saddened" in a message on his Twitter account in which he sent his condolences "to the families and loved ones of all the victims, including to our own staff of the 39, UN, died in tragedy ".

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, based in Addis Ababa, extended its condolences to the victims of the accident and to the Ethiopian government, and reached out to support the families of international officials.

Your executive secretary, Vera Songwe, said that "the family of the UN is mourning after the loss" of his "colleagues and friends, many of whom have lost their lives in accordance with their professional obligations today".

The President of the General Assembly, María Fernanda Espinosa, added to the message of sadness and help for the victims of the event and recalled that the road that covered the flight "is popular for many who are fighting for the good of Africa".

The first British victim identified

On flight ET 302 from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, there were 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, 9 Ethiopians, 8 Italians, 8 Chinese, 8 Americans, 7 English, 7 French, 6 French, 6 Egyptians, 5 Dutch, 4 Indians, 4 Slovaks, 3 Austrians, three Swedes, three Russians, two Moroccans, two Spaniards, two Poles and two Israelis.

A few hours after the incident, the first English victim was identified. It is about Joanna Toole, a 36-year-old UN official.

The young animal welfare activist was one of 12 pbadengers traveling to Nairobi to attend a United Nations meeting on the environment.

his father Adrian he remembered her as "a very loving person" whose work with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations "It was not a job but a vocation", according to the slogan Daily mail.

He also acknowledged that he did not want to visit the African country: "Personally, I never wanted him to be in any of these planes."

The airline Ethiopian Airlines confirmed that the 149 pbadengers and eight crew members had lost their lives. Among the victims, there are 33 nationalities.