Beirut ? An Ethiopian Airlines plane carrying 90 people crashed into the Mediterranean Sea early today just minutes after takeoff from Beirut, Lebanon’s transportation minister said.

The cause was not immediately known. But police ruled out terrorism and said the crash was likely weather-related. Beirut has seen heavy rain and lightning since Sunday.

The Boeing 737-800 took off around 2:30 a.m. for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, said Ghazi Aridi, the public works and transportation minister.

The wife of the French ambassador to Lebanon was on the plane, according to an embassy official who asked that his name not be used because of the sensitivity of the matter.