An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people fell into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from Beirut early Monday and Lebanese authorities said 23 bodies have been recovered so far.

Photo taken on Jan. 23, 2010 shows an Ethiopian Airlines plane at the airport in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia. An Ethiopian Airlines plane, with at least 85 people on board, fell into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from Beirut Monday, the Al-Jazeera TV channel reported. [Wang Haiyan/Xinhua]?

Ethiopian Airlines said its Boeing 737-800 passenger plane crashed into the sea minutes after it left the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut at 2:35 a.m. local time (0035 GMT).

The ET409 flight, carrying 82 passengers and eight crew, was bound for the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, it said in a statement, adding that the plane lost contact with Lebanese air controllers shortly after takeoff from Beirut.

Lebanon's Defense Ministry said 23 bodies have been recovered from the jet crash, local Naharnet website reported.

Lebanese Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi earlier said at the airport that the airliner carried 83 passengers and seven crew members and that "the crash site has been identified 3.5 km west of the coastal village of Naameh" near Beirut.

Aridi told local television that bad weather conditions are probably the main reason for the crash as the Ethiopian airliner was flying in a thunder storm and heavy rain.

A Lebanese committee was set up to investigate the crash, he said, adding that the committee will cooperate with a French team to uncover the details of the disaster.

He said the Lebanese Armed Forces and the UN maritime task force serving off the Lebanese coast were taking part in the search-and-rescue operation.

Aridi said that among the passengers, 57 were Lebanese nationals, three with dual nationalities: British, Canadian and Russian.

He said one Iraqi, one Syrian, and two French nationals were also on board, and the rest Ethiopians.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said that authorities have ruled out sabotage as the cause for the crash.

"Up until now we have ruled out foul play," Suleiman was quoted by Lebanese media as speaking at a press conference.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri declared Monday a national day of mourning for the victims of the Ethiopian plane crash.

Hariri said at the airport that all efforts currently are focusing on finding survivors and that divers will look for the black box to determine the cause, according to the Naharnet report.

As Ethiopia's flag carrier, Ethiopian Airlines now serves 56 international destinations. It operates 37 aircraft including five Boeing 737s.

A general view of Beirut international airport January 25, 2010. An Ethiopian Airlines plane with 85 passengers on board crashed into the Mediterranean sea shortly after taking off from Beirut international airport in the early hours of Monday, airport sources said. [Xinhua]