A China Eastern Airlines passenger plane crashed in a mountainous area
According to the AFP news agency, Chinese President Xi Jinping has expressed "surprise" over the incident and ordered an immediate investigation. According to Chinese state media CCTV, President Xi has instructed the rescue operation to find out the cause of the accident as soon as possible.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or severe damage, but reports of fires in the mountains in Guangxi have been received.China Eastern Airlines has not yet issued a statement on the crash.
The flight MU5735 took off from Kunming at 1:11 a.m. local time and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou at 3:05 p.m.According to the Chinese CAA, rescue operations have been launched and rescue personnel are being sent to the affected area.
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In the videos shared on social media, the wreckage and smoke of the plane can be seen rising at the crash site. Chinese state media have also shared some videos and photos.Flight tracking websites say the plane flew for about an hour. According to Flight Radar 23, the latest data on the flight was received at 2:22 a.m. local time, when the plane was at an altitude of 3,225 feet.
The plane reportedly crashed in Tang County, Wazu City. The southern province of Guangxi is located near the southeastern city of Guangzhou.China's record on air safety is much better, with the last major air crash in China occurring in August 2010 when a plane flying from Harbin crashed in Yachun, killing 42 people.
China Eastern Airlines is one of the three largest state-owned airlines in China, while the other two are China Southern and Air China.
According to tracker websites, the Boeing 737-800 was seven years old and is the next model after the Boeing 737 Max line. The Boeing 737 Max Line is the aircraft that was involved in the air crashes in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopia in 2019. China banned the model after the crash.