A law student at Georgetown University and a resident physician at East Tennessee State University were among the 157 who died in Sunday’s Ethiopian Airlines crash.
Names of the victims in the disaster have begun to emerge. Georgetown announced third-year student Cedric Asiavugwa was killed. East Tennessee State University said resident physician Dr. Manisha Nukavarapu was also lost.
Asiavugwa was on his way to visit Nairobi after his fiancee’s mother’s death when the plane went down. Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor said in an email release to students that Asiavugwa was a “stellar student, a great friend to many, and a dedicated champion for social justice across East Africa and the world.”
Asiavugwa was a resident minister and an active member of Georgetown’s campus ministry.
Another academic, Dr. Manisha Nukavarapu, was killed in the crash. Nukavarapu was a resident physician at East Tennessee State University’s department of internal medicine. She was flying to Kenya to visit family.
“Those who knew her described her as a fine resident, a delightful person and dedicated physician. She will be greatly missed by her colleagues and patients at Quillen College of Medicine,” the university said in a statement released to the Washington Examiner.
Tamarind Group CEO Johnathan Seex was another victim of Sunday’s crash. Seex was living in Kenya and leading the company, which operates high-end hotels and restaurants. Before moving to Kenya, Seex managed a resort in North Carolina for two years, also working in Florida.
“It is with immense shock and grief to inform you of the tragic news that Tamarind CEO, Jonathan Seex, was on the ill-fated Ethiopian Airlines flight,” Tamarind Group announced on Facebook.
[Read more: China grounds 737-MAX jetliners, ramping up pressure on Boeing]
The crash also claimed the lives of 19 United Nations staffers.
The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa said in a statement on Twitter that it is working to determine the identities of the eight Americans killed. “We understand that there were American citizens on board the aircraft and are working to determine their identities. We are in contact with the Government of Ethiopia and Ethiopian Airlines to offer all possible assistance,” the tweet reads.
Updated as of 5pm 3/10/19: 2/2 We understand that there were American citizens on board the aircraft and are working to determine their identities. We are in contact with the Government of Ethiopia and Ethiopian Airlines to offer all possible assistance. https://t.co/mrpAHWeYGs
— U.S. Embassy Addis (@USEmbassyAddis) March 10, 2019
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also acknowledged the loss of life in a Sunday night tweet, writing: “My condolences to the families of the Americans and all others affected by the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines. @USEmbassyAddis and @USEmbassyKenya are working tirelessly to offer all possible assistance.”
My condolences to the families of the Americans and all others affected by the tragic crash of Ethiopian Airlines. @USEmbassyAddis and @USEmbassyKenya are working tirelessly to offer all possible assistance.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 11, 2019
The disaster prompted some countries to ground Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, the plane that crashed in Ethiopia. Less than six months ago another Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed in Indonesia killing all 189 on board.
CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, the Washington Examiner reported that Cedric Asiavugwa was flying to Nairobi for the funeral of his fiancee. Asiavugwa was flying there for the funeral of his fiancee’s mother. The Washington Examiner regrets the error.
