Tuesday 23 / April / 2024
NANNING: 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 in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire, according to the department.
The 132 people 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 rescue operation is underway.
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.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in his instruction that he was shocked to learn about the incident involving China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735.
He ordered the immediate launch of emergency response, all-out search and rescue efforts and proper settlement of the aftermath.
