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BEIJING. – A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in mountains in southern China on a domestic flight yesterday after a sudden descent from cruising altitude. Media said there were no signs of survivors.
The airline said it deeply mourned the loss of passengers and crew, without specifying how many people had been killed.
The aircraft, which took off from Kunming and was bound for Guangzhou, crashed at about 2:38 p.m. into a mountainous area near the Molang village in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire, according to the department.
The 132 people onboard flight MU5735 were 123 passengers and nine crew members, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China on its website. The administration said it has initiated the emergency response mechanism and dispatched a working team to the site.
The fire has been put out and the rescue operation is underway, said Chen Jie, an official with the regional emergency management department.
The Wuzhou fire brigade has sent 117 firefighters with 23 fire trucks to the site. Further 538 firefighters from other parts of Guangxi have been dispatched to join in the rescue efforts, the regional fire department said at its Weibo account.
The neighbouring Guangdong Province has dispatched 505 firefighters and 97 vehicles to aid the rescue operation, with the first batch having arrived at the scene.
The Guangxi regional health commission has dispatched 12 medical experts to the site while over 80 medical workers and 36 ambulances sent by health authorities in the city of Wuzhou have arrived at the scene.
The precise cause of the incident remains undetermined.
Flight tracking data suggested that the plane suddenly lost height from its cruising altitude and dropped thousands of meters in three minutes before plummeting to the ground.
The crashed Boeing 737-800 plane had been in service for nearly seven years.
China Eastern Airlines said it will ground all its Boeing 737-800 aircraft from Tuesday.
Boeing China said it is aware of the media reports of the crash and is working to gather more information.
Boeing shares slid 7.8 percent in premarket trading following the crash.
Chinese airlines generally have a good safety record – the last major accident took place 12 years ago.
China Eastern Airlines has established nine special working groups for aircraft disposal, accident investigation, family assistance, logistics support, legal support, public relations, security, financial insurance, and cargo disposal.
The working groups were en route to the site, and the company said that the cause of the accident would be fully investigated.
Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts after the crash.
President Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in his instruction that he was shocked to learn about the incident.
He ordered the immediate launch of an emergency response, all-out search and rescue efforts and the proper settlement of the aftermath.
President Xi ordered swift action to be taken to identify the cause of the crash and to strengthen the safety overhaul of the civil aviation sector to ensure the absolute safety of the sector and people’s lives.
Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged efforts to console the families of the victims and provide them with assistance, release accurate information in a timely manner, conduct a serious probe into the incident, and take strong measures to strengthen the safety of civil aviation. –ChinaDaily/Xinhua
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