Plane Carrying 132 people Crashes In China
BEIJING- A plane carrying 132 people has crashed in southwest China and caused a mountain fire with casualties unknown, China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said today.
The Boeing 737 plane crashed in the rural countryside near Wuzhou city, Guangxi region and “caused a mountain fire”, CCTV said, citing the provincial emergency management bureau.
The report added that rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.
The China Eastern flight from Kunming to Guangzhou departed at 1.11 pm local time (0511 GMT), FlightRadar24 data showed. The flight tracking ended at 2.22 pm local time (0622 GMT) an altitude of 3225 feet with a speed of 376 knots.
According to CNBC report, China’s aviation authority has confirmed that a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane has crashed, with 132 people on board, including 123 passengers and 9 crew members.
Contact was lost with the flight over Wuzhou, in the Guangxi region, the authority said. It was scheduled to fly from Kunming to Guangzhou.
The Civil Aviation Administration said it had “activated the emergency mechanism and dispatched a working group to the scene,” according to a translation.
The twin-engine, single aisle Boeing 737 is one of the world’s most popular planes for short and medium-haul flights.
It was not immediately clear which variant of 737 was involved in the accident. China Eastern operates multiple versions of the common aircraft, including the 737-800 and the 737 Max.
The 737 Max version was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes. China’s aviation regulator cleared that plane to return to service late last year, making the country the last major market to do so.
China Eastern is one of China’s three major air carriers.
Chinese state media said the crash had caused a mountain fire.
This is a breaking story, more details will be updated shortly.
