The black box flight recorder of an Ethiopian Airlines jet, which slammed into the Mediterranean Sea just moments after taking off from Beirut’s International Airport on Monday has been found, according to a spokesperson for the airline.

The airline said that the black box will be recovered after the location is identified. So far 26 bodies have been found, adding that five of the bodies are of Ethiopian passengers.

The Boeing 737-800 jet, once used by Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair was carrying 82 passengers and eight crew members.

The Lebanese government has sent a team to the scene made up of members of Ethiopian Airlines and the Civil Aviation Authority.

A delegation has also been led by Foreign Affairs Minister Seyoum Mesfin, and the team compromises Transport and Communications Ministers and other senior government officials.

It has emerged that the jet, which lost radio contact with air traffic control, did not obey instructions given by the controller, and flew into the centre of localised thunderstorms, before making an unusual turn. It has been speculated that severe storms in the area may have played a part into the downing of the jet, similar to that of an Air France A330-300 flying from Rio De Janeiro to Paris, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean last year.