China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735: 132 feared dead after plane crashes into mountain
- There has not yet been official confirmation of any casualties but locals report seeing fires and debris at the site of the crash in Guangxi
- Airline says it will ground its fleet of Boeing 737-800s after the Kunming to Guangzhou flight came down suddenly about an hour after takeoff
All 132 passengers and crew on board an China Eastern Airlines flight were feared dead on Monday after the plane crashed into a mountain in southern China.
There had been no official confirmation of any casualties seven hours after the crash, raising concerns that there was little chance of finding survivors.
Rescue work swung into operation after the Boeing 737-800 went down near Wuzhou in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, state broadcaster CCTV reported, adding that more than 600 firefighters were being sent to the scene to help local emergency services.
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Boeing 737 plane crashes in China’s southern Guangxi with 132 people on board
Flight MU5735, which was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, disappeared en route to Guangzhou after taking off from Kunming in Yunnan province at 1.10pm. After failing to arrive as scheduled at 2.52pm it was marked “out of reach” on Guangzhou airport’s app.
According to VariFlight, a Chinese civil aviation data provider, the plane had been flying at almost 8,900 metres (29,200 feet) before slowing down and losing height at 2.19pm. Three minutes later, when its height was recorded at around 1,300 metres, it disappeared from the radar.
Media reported that debris had been found at the site and local medical teams were sending ambulances to the scene and setting up first-aid stations.