Plane Crashes in Eastern China with 132 People on Board

A passenger plane with 132 people on board has crashed in a forested hillside in southern China, media reports say.

The Boeing 737-800 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou when it plunged to earth in Guangxi province and caught fire.

The number of casualties is still unknown, reports a Chinese media CGTN.

There were 123 passengers and nine crew members aboard in flight MU5735, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China on its website.

President Xi Jinping has ordered an immediate investigation to determine the cause while China Eastern Airlines reportedly grounded all its Boeing 737s.

Chinese airlines generally have a good safety record – the last major accident took place 12 years ago.

Flight tracking data suggested the plane lost height rapidly from its cruising altitude before plummeting to the ground.

The Boeing 737-800 plane was seven years old, according to tracker websites. It’s the predecessor model to the Boeing 737 Max line, which were the planes involved in deadly crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019, according to the BBC.

Boeing issued a statement on the crash of MU5735, saying: “We are aware of the initial media reports and are working to gather more information.”

News Agencies