Plane carrying 132 crashes in China, casualties unknown

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement the crash occurred near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county

A China Eastern passenger flight with at least 132 on board crashed in southern China on Monday, according to reports in Chinese state media.

Residents watch as a China Eastern passenger jet prepares to take off on a test flight from the new Beijing Daxing International Airport on Monday, May 13, 2019. State media are reporting a Chinese airliner from China Eastern with 133 people on board crashed in the southern province of Guangxi on Monday, sparking a mountainside fire. (AP/FILE)

The flight, MU 5735, took off from southwest China’s Kunming Changshui airport in the Yunnan province at 13:15 local time, and was scheduled to arrive at Guangzhou, the capital of south China’s Guangdong province at 15:07. The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in a statement the crash occurred near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county.

There was no immediate word on numbers of dead and injured. The aircraft was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, reports said.

According to China Central Television the crash of the Boeing 737 caused a mountain fire in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

“The Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines crashed in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire,” the report said.

Rescue teams have been deployed and are approaching the crash site.

Satellite data from Nasa showed a massive fire just in the area of where the plane went down at the time of the crash.

“The aircraft belonged to the Yunnan subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines and has been in operation of just over six and a half years. The aircraft was delivered in June of 2015,” a Global Times report said.

The aircraft lost contact over the city of Wuzhou, CAAC and the airline said.

The plane had been cruising at an altitude 29,100 feet at 0620 GMT, according to FlightRadar24 data. Just over two minutes and 15 seconds later, the next available data showed it had descended to 9,075 feet. In another 20 seconds, its last tracked altitude was 3,225 feet.

The website of China Eastern Airlines was later presented in black and white, which airlines do in response to a crash as a sign of respect for the assumed victims. Boeing China’s website also switched to black and white.

The aircraft has a total of 162 seats, including 12 business class seats and 150 economy class seats.

(With inputs from agencies)