A distinguished Carleton University professor, an Edmonton woman and her 5-year-old child, and a Calgary accountant are among 18 Canadians killed when an Ethiopian Airlines plane crashed shortly after departing Addis Ababa on Sunday morning. The aircraft, a Boeing 737-8 MAX, took off from Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital city, shortly before 9 a.m. local time. Records from Flightradar24, an airplane tracking website, showed that the plane’s vertical speed quickly became erratic. The pilot issued a distress call and was told to return, but contact with the plane was lost several minutes later.Roughly two hours later, the office of Ethiopia’s prime minister offered “deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones on Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 on regular scheduled flight to Nairobi, Kenya this morning.”All 157 people aboard died.A spokesperson for Carleton University in Ottawa said the community is “shocked and saddened at the death of Prof. Pius Adesanmi.”Global Affairs Canada confirmed that Adesanmi is among the victims.“Pius was a towering figure in African and post-colonial scholarship and his sudden loss is a tragedy,” said Benoit-Antoine Bacon, president and vice-chancellor. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew and loved him, and with everyone who suffered loss in the tragic crash in Ethiopia.”“The contributions of Pius Adesanmi to Carleton are immeasurable,” said Pauline Rankin, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. “He worked tirelessly to build the Institute of African Studies, to share his boundless passion for African literature and to connect with and support students. He was a scholar and teacher of the highest calibre who leaves a deep imprint on Carleton.”Thousands of people viewed Adesanmi’s Facebook page, which was filled messages of shock, sorrow and ...
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