Passenger plane carrying 132 crashes in south China

Nanning, China | Xinhua | A passenger plane with 132 people aboard crashed in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Monday afternoon, said the regional emergency management department.

The Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, which took off from Kunming and was bound for Guangzhou, crashed at about 2:38 p.m. into a mountainous area near the Molang village in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire, according to the department.

The 132 people onboard flight MU5735 were 123 passengers and nine crew members, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China on its website. The administration said it has initiated the emergency response mechanism and dispatched a working team to the site.

The fire has been put out and the rescue operation is underway, said Chen Jie, an official with the regional emergency management department.

The Wuzhou fire brigade has sent 117 firefighters with 23 fire trucks to the site. Further 538 firefighters from other parts of Guangxi have been dispatched to join in the rescue efforts, the regional fire department said at its Weibo account.

Footage shows what is believed to be the crash site of a China Eastern Airlines passenger plane carrying 132 people, in southwest China. The number of casualties is unknown.

Read more: https://t.co/gtkqQ6rbR9 pic.twitter.com/5bgr5T1sDm

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 21, 2022

*****

Xinhua