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'Deeply shocked, saddened': Modi after Chinese aircraft crashes with 132 onboard
Taking to Twitter, Modi said, “Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 onboard in China’s Guangxi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sorrow over the crash of a Chinese passenger jet in the country's Guangxi province on Monday. The aircraft - a Boeing 737-800 - was operated by China Eastern Airlines and had 132 - 123 passengers and nine crew - on board.
"Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 onboard in China's Guangxi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members," Modi tweeted.
Emergency teams have reached the crash site but news agency Reuters quoted a People's Daily report (which quoted a local firefighter) that said there were 'no signs of survivors'.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the aircraft went down in a mountainous area near the city of Wuzhou. The crash led to a large fire.
Also Read| China plane crash: 132 on board but ‘no signs of survivors’, search-rescue on
The Boeing 737-800 flight from the city of Kunming to the southern hub of Guangzhou "lost airborne contact over Wuzhou" in the Guangxi region on Monday afternoon, the CAAC added.
State media reported that hundreds of firefighters were dispatched to the crash site and nearby villagers rushed to assist with the rescue efforts.
Also Read| China plane crash: President Xi expresses shock, orders probe
Chinese President Xi Jinping, meanwhile, expressed shock over the horrific crash and called out for all-out efforts to locate the survivors.
Xi also instructed officials to launch an emergency response immediately and to investigate the cause of the crash as soon as possible.
According to aviation consultancy Cirium, the Boeing 737-800 NG is regarded as one of the safest aircraft ever made.
“The 737 NG has been in operation for 25 years and has an excellent safety record,” said Paul Hayes, director of air safety and insurance at Cirium.
Refusing to speculate about Monday's crash, Hayes added, “If the Flightfadar24 logs are accurate, something seems to have happened abruptly and the plane nose-dived from cruising altitude.”
China Eastern has said it will ground all of its Boeing 737-800 jets from Tuesday.
