Ethiopian Airlines plane believed to have crashed

BEIRUT - Lebanese aviation and security officials say an Ethiopian Airlines plane with about 90 people on board crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from Beirut.

The plane went down early Monday, the officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly.

The plane took off around 2 a.m. local time and was headed to Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. About 50 of the passengers were Lebanese, the officials said.