Passengers from more than 30 countries were on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa to Nairobi that crashed on Sunday, killing 157 people.
Among the victims were 32 Kenyans, 18 Canadians, nine Ethiopians and seven Britons, according to a passenger list from the doomed flight published by Ethiopian officials.
A number of passengers are believed to have been affiliated with the United Nations (UN).
Senior Captain Yared Mulugeta Gatechew, who was of Kenyan and Ethiopian heritage, was the main pilot on Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.
He had been working for the airline since November 2007.
He had a “commendable performance” with more than 8,000 hours in the air, the company said.
A friend of Captain Yared, Hassan Katende, said his “hair just stood up” when he heard that he had died.
In a BBC Amharic interview, Mr Katende said he learned of the crash through social media.
“I can’t sleep. It’s shocking. It’s very hard to believe. It’s really unbelievable,” he said.
Among the victims was Cedric Asiavugwa, a third-year law student at Georgetown University.
He was travelling to Nairobi to attend the funeral of one of his relatives, reports say.
“With his passing, the Georgetown family has lost a stellar student, a great friend to many, and a dedicated champion for social justice across East Africa and the world,” Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor said.
Mr Asiavugwa was committed to issues of social justice, especially for refugees and other marginalised groups, the university said.
He also carried out research on subjects ranging from peace to food security in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and South Sudan.
Hussein Swaleh, a former Kenyan football administrator, also died in the crash, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirmed to the BBC.
The head of Kenya’s football federation tweeted that it was a “sad day for football”.
Mr Swaleh was reportedly returning home after officiating in a CAF Champions League match in Alexandria, Egypt, the CAF said in a statement.
Tributes have been pouring in for former Kenyan journalist Anthony Ngare, 49, who was killed in the crash.
Mr Ngare had just represented Kenya at a UN conference in Paris and was on his way to Nairobi.
He was formerly an editor at local media house Standard Group and had also worked at a government agency. –BBC
