On Monday, a China Eastern Airlines plane carrying 132 passengers crashed in Guangxi’s southern province, igniting a forest fire. The exact number of casualties is unknown, but rescue efforts are ongoing.
China’s Civil Aviation Administration announced in a statement that a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft that was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed in Tengxian County near Wuzhou.
As darkness struck, prospects of finding survivors of the disaster faded as rescue workers rushed across the woodland areas of the isolated mountainous Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences following the accident of a passenger plane in Guangxi, China.
“Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 on board in China’s Guangxi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members,” PM Modi tweeted.
Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidong expressed his gratitude to PM Modi and tweeted, “Thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indian friends for your prayers and sympathy for the loss in the air crash. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts & proper settlement of the aftermath. Mourn for the victims, deep condolences to their families.”
State media originally claimed on Monday afternoon that a Chinese aircraft carrying 133 people had crashed in the southern region of Guangxi, igniting a hillside fire.
The Chinese Civil Aviation Administration later acknowledged the incident on its website, stating that 132 persons were killed in the crash, including 123 passengers and nine crew members.
According to FlightRadar24, the China Eastern flight from Kunming to Guangzhou left at 1:11 p.m. (0511 GMT). It was scheduled to arrive at 3:05 p.m. (0705 GMT).
Local police initially got calls from residents alerting them to the incident about 2:30 p.m., according to state media (0630 GMT). Contact with the jet was lost around 2:15 p.m., according to the Guangxi province emergency management agency (0615 GMT).
The jet abruptly dropped into the hilly terrain and crashed, according to official reports. Locals’ cellphone footage showed the accident site covered in a big alpine fire, with explosions audible in the distance.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) indicated on Twitter that if requested, it would be willing to help with the inquiry.
Boeing China said it was aware of the plane accident stories in the media and is gathering additional facts.
Meanwhile, following the incident on Monday, China Eastern Airlines has grounded all Boeing 737-800 aircraft, according to company authorities.
Following the plane accident, Chinese President Xi Jinping stated that the tragedy involving China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou had left him “shocked.”
According to Xinhua, President Xi ordered a quick emergency reaction, all-out search and rescue activities, and appropriate settlement of the aftermath.
He stated that immediate action should be done to determine the reason of the tragedy and to improve the civil aviation sector’s safety overhaul in order to secure the sector’s and people’s total safety.
Following the plane disaster, people were among the first to gather in the forested region where the jet had crashed, igniting a fire. Hundreds of rescue personnel from Guangxi and adjacent Guangdong provinces were quickly mobilised.
However, chances of finding survivors of the disaster faded as the rescuers struggled to negotiate the terrain in the dark.
The airlines has formed up nine teams to deal with aircraft disposal, accident investigation, family aid, and other essential problems, according to state media.
The jet accident on Monday destroyed China’s airline record of over 100 million safe flying hours as of February 19. China is one of the world’s top three air travel markets, with North America and Europe. Since a series of fatal incidents in the 1990s and 2000s, it has substantially improved safety. Since 2010, when an Embraer passenger jet crashed in Yichun, Heilongjiang province, killing 42 people, China has not had a commercial aviation disaster with more than five deaths.
