Families of Kenyan victims seek compensation for Ethiopian Airlines crash

The families of Kenyan passengers killed in last week’s Boeing 737 airplane crash in Ethiopia are seeking their government’s help in obtaining compensation, according to The Associated Press.

Of the 157 passengers killed in the crash, 32 were Kenyan, more than any other nationality, according to the wire service. The flight from Addis Ababa was bound for Nairobi.

{mosads}“If we are left alone, clearly we can’t move,” said Merciline Ndegwa, one of the relatives, according to the AP. “It’s been a difficult time reaching out to the airline and even Ethiopia’s government. So, as we move forward, it is our wish to have help from the government in that front.”

Macharia Kamau, principal secretary of Kenya’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs, told the families of victims they should “come together as a group” while the Kenyan government works to obtain death certificates for their family members.

The crash led all countries to ground the 737 Max planes, and in the U.S. regulators and lawmakers are looking into how the jets received their safety certification. The FBI is joining a criminal probe into the certification of the plane, assisting an investigation already initiated by the Department of Transportation.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Aviation and Space, announced Wednesday that his panel would hold a hearing on airline safety on March 27. The panel will hear from witnesses including Federal Aviation Administration acting Administrator Daniel Elwell.

Cruz said the panel is planning a second hearing at which Boeing executives and others may be called to testify.