Colombo, Mar 14 (IANS): Sri Lanka is monitoring the safety issues linked with Boeing 737 Max aircraft after a crash in Ethiopia killed all 157 on board, but no aircraft is overflying or landing in the country at the moment, Director General of Civil Aviation H.M.C. Nimalsiri said on Thursday.

He said no domestic carrier operated Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft and six operators that flew the model to Bandaranaike International Airport grounded the model, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We will take further steps once more information on the cause of the crash in Ethiopia is available," Nimalsiri said.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft have been grounded in a number of countries and regions in Asia-Pacific amid safety concerns following the crash of the Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet on Sunday.

It was the second crash involving the 737 Max 8 model in less than five months, after the Lion Air crash off Indonesia in which 189 people died in October.