(Photos: Lv Qiang)

Addis Ababa (People’s Daily) -- Ethiopian Airlines held a press conference Friday in the country’s capital at which it answered questions from families of the victims of this week’s deadly crash of one its Boeing 737 Max 8 jets.

During the two-hour news conference, airline representatives addressed a range of issues and concerns expressed by the grieving relatives.

The airline said it will announce on Saturday how it plans to proceed with requests from relatives to take home soil from the crash site. It said it first needs to ensure sure the soil can be taken out of the country before approval can be given.

While extending condolences to the families, airline representatives said consideration is being given to requests to make compensation payments to relatives of the victims. The amount of compensation and just when any payments might be made have not yet been determined. Families will need to provide relevant proof of who they are before any payments can be made, the representatives said.

As to the question of turning the crash site into a permanent memorial, the airline said that it first would need to discuss the issue with the government and local residents.

Regarding DNA identification of those killed in the crash, the airline company did not give a definitive answer. 

All 157 passengers and crew died when the Ethiopian Airlines jetliner crashed Sunday just after takeoff from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport on a flight to Nairobi, Kenya.

(Compiled by Elaine Yue Lin)