The black box of an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft which crashed into the waters of the Mediterranean has been located by a team of underwater searchers.

The flight data recorder was found under some 4,300 feet of water and authorities said tit will soon be brought back. Black boxes are always considered to be critical to accident investigations.

The Boeing 737-800, which was operating a Ethiopian Airlines flight carrying 82 passengers and eight crew members, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea on Monday shortly after take-off from Beirut International Airport.

The Addis Ababa bound plane went down some 9 miles south of Beirut.

As of Thursday, twenty-six bodies were reported to have been recovered.

The Lebanese army claimed that five of the dead were Ethiopians.

Ethiopian Airlines officials said that of the total 82 passengers, fifty-one passengers were reported to be Lebanese and 23 to be Ethiopians. Two passengers were UK nationals, and the remaining passengers were reported as coming from Turkey, France, Russia, Canada, Syria and Iraq. All eight members of the crew were Ethiopian.

Commenting on what could have caused the accident, Lebanese Transportation Minister Ghazi Aridi said Tuesday that the pilot had executed a quick and bizarre turn only minutes after taking off and flew the aircraft in the opposite direction from the orientation recommended by the air control staff at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport. The weather was stormy as it the plane took off.

Terrorist activity was ruled out by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman.

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