LATEST:Ethiopian Airliner crashes, 157 people killed.. PICTURES

LATEST: Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX crashes in flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi Kenya

An Ethiopian airlines Boeing 737 MAX heading to Nairobi has crashed in Ethiopia soon after taking off with about 157 people onboard.

There are no survivors.

Reports say passengers who include 18 Canadians, Chinese, Kenyans, Ethiopians, British and others from 35 countries were onboard the doomed flight.

The Ethiopian Prime Minister confirmed the crash via a social media post;

The Office of the PM, on behalf of the Government and people of Ethiopia, would like to express it’s 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.

The flight is believed to have had 149 passengers and eight crew members on board, the airline says.

A spokesman said the crash happened at 08.44 local time on Sunday, shortly after take-off from the Ethiopian capital.

In a statement, the airline said that search and rescue operations were under way.