UN chief says 21 workers killed in Ethiopia air crash

By Michael Hernandez</p> <p>WASHINGTON (AA) – At least 21 UN employees were killed yesterday when an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said Monday. </p> <p>&quot;A global tragedy has hit close to home — and the United Nations is united in grief,&quot; Guterres said at the UN's New York headquarters. </p> <p>All 157 people on board Ethiopian Airlines flight ET-302 were killed when it crashed shortly after departing Ethiopia’s capital Sunday morning. </p> <p>&quot;Our fallen colleagues were women and men — junior professionals and seasoned officials — hailing from all corners of the globe and with a wide array of expertise,&quot; Guterres said. &quot;They all had one thing in common — a spirit to serve the people of the world and to make it a better place for us all.&quot;</p> <p>Ethiopian Airlines has grounded its Boeing-737-8 Max fleet &quot;until further notice&quot; following the crash.</p> <p>“Although we don’t yet know the cause of the accident, we had to decide to ground the particular fleet as an extra safety precaution,&quot; the airline said. </p> <p>CEO Tewolde Gebremariam said the plane was received last November and had faced no technical problems before the deadly crash.