MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. An Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 to Nairobi crashed on Sunday carrying 149 passengers and eight crew members, the airline said in a statement on its website.

"It is believed that there were 149 passengers and 8 crew onboard the flight but we are currently confirming the details of the passenger manifest for the flight," the statement said.

The Boeing 737 crashed around Bishoftu (Debre Zeit) in central Ethiopia. The plane took off at 08:38am from Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa, Bole International Airport and lost contact six minutes later, the airline said.

There is no information about the fate of those who were onboard the plane, a search and rescue operation is underway. The Ethiopian Airlines’ personnel will join the effort.