Only three bodies among the eight flight crews, one of whom has not so far been named, who were aboard ET409 which crashed immediately after taking off on its fatal flight from Beirut to Addis Abeba were delivered Sunday, February 14, 2010, at the Bole International Airport after identification was carried out through DNA testing and clearance granted by Lebanese authorities. An Ethiopian delegation of 14 members, including medical, technical and engineering professionals as well as eight people from Blake Emergency Services of London were involved in the identification. However, the coffins for the bodies of Gelila Gedion, lead cabin crew, Nesanet Yifru, cabin crew (cc) and Seble Gebretsadik, cc, were joined by three empty coffins for the unfound bodies of two other cabin crews, Helen Addise and Seblewnegel Seyoum, lead CC, and co-pilot Alula Tamrat, whose families had agreed for a remembrance to be held for them along with three of their friends. Also remembered were nine passengers, for whom there was only one silver coffin.

The ceremony started at 9:30 at the Ethiopian Airlines Cargo Terminal with brass band in the presence of President Girma Woldegiorgis of Ethiopia, Diriba Kuma, minister of Transport and Communication (MoTC), Girma Wake, Chief Executive Officer of Ethiopian, religious leaders, members of the management staff of Ethiopian, flight crew members and about 200 family members and friends of the victims. Flowers were placed on the coffins with bodies while flowers were given to the families of the three empty coffins that represented the three bodies that were not found.

From there the ceremony proceeded to the Holy Trinity Church where seven holes awaited. One would remain empty as the family of Captian Habtamu Benti refused the symbolic funeral. Three silver coffins, bearing bodies, and three golden ones, which were empty, were laid to rest. The ceremony was conducted by Abune Pawlos, patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

The search and identification of the remaining bodies is still in progress and will be disclosed when finalised, according to Wogayehu Terefe, acting manager for Public Relations and Publications at Ethiopian.