MITSAMIOULI — 1996 · Major Tragedy
The Hijacking and Ditching of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961
On 23 November 1996 an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 flying from Addis Ababa to Nairobi was hijacked by three men. They demanded to be flown to Australia; Captain Leul Abate tried to explain that the fuel would not cover even a quarter of the journey, but could not persuade them. Out of fuel, the aircraft was forced to ditch off Le Galawa beach hotel near Mitsamiouli on Grande Comore in the Comoros. The plane broke apart on impact; 125 of the 175 people on board died, including the three hijackers. Fifty were rescued with the help of tourists and local people on the beach. It was one of the first major ditchings caught on amateur video.
- Date
- 1996
- Place
- Grande Comore, Comoros, Mitsamiouli, KM
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -11.3700, 43.3000 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 23 November 1996The aircraft was hijacked on the Addis Ababa–Nairobi flight.
- 23 November 1996Out of fuel, it ditched off Grande Comore.
- November 1996The 50 survivors were treated; the death toll was put at 125.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The New York Times — Terror in the Air, and Frantic Rescue From the Sea nytimes.com ↗
- CNN — Previous jet ditchings yielded survival lessons cnn.com ↗
- Wikipedia
- The New York Times
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.