Plane crash in China: Plane with 132 passengers crashed
A China Eastern airliner with 132 on board has crashed. The accident happened in southern China’s Guangxi region, state television reports. Nothing was initially known about victims.
A plane carrying 132 people has crashed in southwest China. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing-737 crashed in a rural area near the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region, state broadcaster CCTV reported. A fire broke out at the crash site. The number of victims is still unclear, reported CCTV.
Several rescue teams were sent to the scene of the accident, CCTV reported. In a video circulating on the Chinese internet, a high plume of smoke could be seen in the hills from a distance. Debris was also shown that local residents claim to have filmed with their cellphones. The authenticity of the videos could not be confirmed at first.
The aviation authority in Beijing confirmed the crash. There were 123 passengers and nine crew members on board. The first reports spoke of 133 inmates.
Crash after an hour flight time
According to the first information, the aircraft with the flight number MU5735 was on its way from Kunming in the Yunnan province to Guangzhou in the Guangdong province. According to the FlightRadar24 website, the machine took off at 1:11 p.m. local time. The landing was scheduled for 15:05.
As reported by the China News news agency, flight data showed that the machine had flown at an altitude of more than 8,800 meters since taking off from Kunming. At 2:19 p.m. local time, the plane suddenly dropped. Contact was lost two minutes later. According to FlightRadar24, the flight ended an hour and eleven minutes after take-off at an altitude of almost 1000 meters.
Plane crash / Villagers: Plane “completely destroyed”
There was initially no information about the cause of the plane crash. It happened in a remote and hilly area of Teng County, about 300 kilometers from Guangzhou. Villagers reported that the machine was “completely destroyed,” according to the Jimu Xinwen news site.
A forest fire developed after the crash. Satellite data from the US space agency NASA showed a large fire in the area of the crash site near the city of Wuzhou. China’s aviation authority said firefighters were on their way to put out the mountain fire caused by the crash. According to “Jimu Xinwen”, eyewitnesses reported that the fire could now be extinguished.
One of the largest airlines in China
Plane crashes rarely happen in China. The last time a Chinese airline passenger plane crashed was in 2010. The Chinese airlines mostly fly with modern Boeing and Airbus aircraft; the aircraft are considered to be well maintained. The plane that crashed was a six-year-old Boeing 737-800NG.
With a fleet of around 600 aircraft, China Eastern is one of the largest airlines in China. The airline flies to both domestic and international destinations.
