China orders MAX 8 planes grounded after Ethiopia crash

China's civilian aviation authority ordered all Chinese airlines to ground their Boeing 737 Max 8 planes indefinitely on Monday after one of the aircraft crashed in Ethiopia.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China said the order is to take effect by 6 p.m. (1000 GMT) Monday.

It said the order, issued Monday morning, was "taken in line with the management principle of zero tolerance for security risks," because the crash was the second after another of the planes fell into the ocean off the coast of Indonesia in similar circumstances on Oct. 29, killing all aboard.

The head of Indonesia's national transport safety agency, Soerjanto Thahjono, offered Monday to assist the Ethiopian investigation into Sunday's crash.

Like the Ethiopian Airlines crash, which happened minutes after the jet's takeoff from Addis Ababa and killed all 157 people on board, the Lion Air jet that crashed off Indonesia had erratic speed in the few minutes it was in the air.

The crash put global aviation authorities on alert.

Cayman Airways says it was temporarily grounding the two Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft it operates, as of Monday.

The president and CEO of the Caribbean carrier, Fabian Whorms, acknowledged the cause of the Ethiopian crash was unclear, but said the airline was taking the step because of its "commitment to putting the safety of our passengers and crew first."

China's aviation authority said it would issue further notices after consulting with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

Eight Chinese nationals on board the Ethiopian Airlines flight that crashed.

The crash in Ethiopia has renewed safety questions about the newest version of Boeing's popular 737 airliner, since the plane was new and the weather was clear at the time. The pilots tried to return to the airport but never made it.