A China Eastern Airlines plane with 132 people on board crashed Monday, March 21, in southwestern China, state television reported, without providing an immediate report.
A mountain “fire”
The Boeing 737 crashed near the city of Wuzhou, in the Guangxi region, and “caused a fire” mountain, CCTV said, adding that rescue teams have been sent to the scene. The plane is “Completely fell apart” after crashing into a mountainside, a local resident told local media.
According to local media, China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 took off shortly after 1 p.m. local time (5 a.m. GMT) from the southwest metropolis of Kunming. His destination was Canton, some 1,300 km away.
Chinese president ‘in shock’
No comment was immediately available from China Eastern, which put its black-and-white website on the heels. Chinese President Xi Jinping said to himself ” shocked “ after the crash, state television reported. In an unusual hot reaction, the Beijing strongman called for “determine the causes of the accident as quickly as possible”.
The last major air accident in China dates back to August 2010. A flight from the Chinese company Henan Airlines crashed in the northeast of the country and killed around 40 people. The heaviest toll in China for a commercial flight dates back to 1994. A China Northwest Airlines Tupolev 154 crashed shortly after takeoff from Xian (north), killing all 160 people on board.