Juba, South Sudan,
June 27, 2021 – Ethiopian Airlines B787 Dreamliner aircraft has reportedly been hit by thunder lightning in Togolese capital Lome on approach to landing.
In a dramatic twist of events, authorities in Togo have invited traditional leaders in the area to perform rituals “to cleanse the aircraft of evil spirits”.
Photos circulated on social Saturday evening show a group of people dressed in traditional attires and walking right in a grounded aircraft without vetting crew at the entrance, an indication that no normal onboarding was taking place.
Verification and fact-checking tool used by Nyamilepedia showed that the photos were obtained and posted on Twitter Friday by Patrick Koluyu, a humanitarian actor in the township of Edison in New Jersey, the United States.
The images, posted in different dimensions, were not republished on any other platform but retweeted multiple times. Nyamilepedia contacted Ethiopian Airlines for further verification but with unsuccessful attempts.
Hilarious comments
The incident which was supposed to attract sympathy has sparked hilarious reactions from netizens who reacted particularly in the aspect of involving the so-called traditional authorities in the scene.
“This is funny! Lightning strikes on planes are not uncommon. This causes no damage to the plane whatsoever! The fuselage of a plane is basically one huge lightning conductor!” wrote Billy Rwothungeyo, a Twitter user.
“Someone said, Benin, Togo, and Burkina Faso have the largest population of traditional African religious persons. In Burkina Faso they make about 60 percent of the population, then Muslims and Christians. So it’s not about the lightning conductor. It’s about prevailing beliefs,” another user wrote.
“Honestly, I love my African people and the cultures. At least, they have tried to do something to help with a genuine interest. it doesn’t matter whether it has worked or not. Proud African!!” aboma Jote from Ethiopia commented.
“I see it’s the evil spirits! Now we know why the Ethiopian Airlines has been transporting weapons and the forces of the fascist regimes of Ethiopia and Eritrea to commit the ongoing #TigrayGenocide,” reads a reaction from another user.
