All 157 people on board the Ethiopian Airlines (ET) flight that crashed earlier Sunday are confirmed dead, Ethiopian state television reported.

All 149 passengers and eight crew members aboard ET 302, bound for Nairobi, Kenya, are confirmed killed, the Ethiopian Broadcasting Corporation (EBC) said.

The Boeing 737-800 MAX took off at 08:38 a.m. local time from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport and lost contact at 08:44 a.m., the airline said in a statement.

Ethiopian Airlines has released telephone numbers for family or friends of those who may have been on the flight to call.

In a statement, the Ethiopian Prime Minister's Office has expressed "deepest condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones" on the flight.

The plane crashed near Bishoftu city, about 45 km southeast of the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, the ET said in a statement.

"Ethiopian Airlines staff will be sent to the accident scene and will do everything possible to assist the emergency services," the statement added.

"We are currently confirming the details of the passenger manifest for the flight," the airline said.

Xinhua