Seoul [South Korea], Mar 11 (ANI): South Korea on Monday conducted an emergency safety check on Boeing 737 MAX 8 passenger planes before their departure, the Transport Ministry said.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the Ministry had sent a team of officials to probe the autopilot and other systems of the two B737 MAX 8 passenger planes, run by South Korea's aircraft carrier Eastar Jet and US-based aerospace company Boeing.

The emergency checks of the passenger planes come close on the heels of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashing on Sunday shortly after taking off from Addis Ababa, killing all 157 passengers on board.

In fact, Sunday's unfortunate crash is the second one in less than six months when a Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed.

The specific Boeing jet was also involved in the Lion Air crash in October last year, which claimed the lives of all 189 people on board after it nosedived into the Java Sea near Jakarta, Indonesia. Notably, both incidents took place just a few minutes after taking off.

China and Ethiopia have also grounded all Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft from conducting all commercial operations on Monday. The aircraft would only resume operations after "confirming the relevant measures to effectively ensure flight safety," a spokesperson from Ethiopian Airlines confirmed Al Jazeera.

There have been no survivors in Sunday's crash of Ethiopian Airlines.

Four Indians were among others, belonging to 35 different nationalities who lost their lives in the unfortunate incident. Many of the deceased worked for the United Nations.

Ethiopian Airlines authorities have said that the pilot had reported technical difficulties after takeoff and asked for clearance to return to Addis Ababa before it crashed.

According to the New York Times, investigations are yet to determine the cause of the air crash and locate the flight data recorder of the crashed plane. (ANI)