Three Victims In Deadly Ethiopian Airline Crash Had Northern California Ties

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Reports indicate three victims who died in the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 tragedy Sunday had ties to Northern California.

The victims in questions were two brothers from Redding and a Bay Area tech company employee.

The plane -- bound for Nairobi in Kenya -- went down minutes after takeoff, killing all 157 people on board. One witness reported seeing smoke coming from the rear of the plane before it hit the ground.

Friends said Melvin and Bennett Riffel were on vacation while traveling through Africa. Both brothers graduated from Shasta High School.

Flowers were placed at the bell tower outside Saint Joseph Church Monday. That's also where their mother works as a secretary.

"The community, we've been through a lot of things this past year. [It's a] very supportive community, just this morning after the mass people, are offering prayer, offering help," said St. Joseph's Rev. Fred E. Gucor.

Family members say Melvin was expecting his first child this spring.

There was also an employee at a Bay Area tech company among those killed in the crash.

Anne Musyoki worked for San Francisco-based company Tech Soup.

She was a regional lead in Africa. Musyoki -- a wife and mother -- was returning home from a work event.