A Chinese commercial airliner carrying 132 passengers crashed in a mountainous location in southern China.
The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 was on its way from Kunming to Guangzhou when it crashed and burst in flames in the hills of Guangxi province.
BBC reported that there is a huge possibility that no one survived the tragedy, although the exact number of people killed and the cause of the crash are unknown as of present writing.
A provincial firefighting department official was quoted in the People's Daily as claiming that there was no trace of life among the rubble according to a Reuters report.
Videos widely shared on social media that appear to be taken by residents show plane debris scattered around the hills. Republic world reported visuals from the crash site wherein a massive smoke is coming out from the debris.
#LIVE | Smoke covers crash-site of China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 passenger flight; The plane was flying from Guangzhou to Kunming with 133 onboard; Tune in for non-stop updates here - https://t.co/kJjJ8boiw2 pic.twitter.com/RxCLpXBxDf
— Republic (@republic) March 21, 2022
China Eastern Airlines confirmed the crash and the number of people on board via a statement on Weibo, China's version of Twitter.
The company has still yet to answer questions about the incident, however, according to the local press, China Eastern Airlines has greyed out its emblem on its Weibo account and altered its website to black and white as a gesture of mourning.
China's Civil Aviation Administration said that investigators had been called to the location.
According to rescue teams deployed to the site, the crash caused a forest fire but it has already been put out.
Flight MU5735 left Kunming at 13:11 local time (05:11 GMT) and was scheduled to reach Guangzhou at 15:05.
Chinese President Xi Jinping Reacts to The Tragedy
Chinese airlines have a good safety record and the country's last major plane accident was in August 2010, when a flight from Harbin crashed in Yichun, killing 42 people.
According to state television CCTV, Chinese President Xi Jinping was "shocked" to learn about the tragedy. He directed China Eastern to coordinate search and rescue operations and launch an investigation into the crash's cause.
The airline announced that it is sending workers to the site of the crash and had opened a hotline for family members.
Boeing Stocks Drops
Meanwhile, Boeing's stock was down more than 7% in premarket trading on Monday. CNBC reported that it attempted to contact the company but no one was immediately available to comment.
Boeing has been attempting to rebuild its reputation following a series of catastrophic incidents in recent years.
After manufacturing flaws were discovered to have caused two tragic crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia, the company's 737 Max passenger aircraft was grounded worldwide between March 2019 and December 2020 - and longer in some areas. On October 29, 2018, Lion Air Flight 610 crashed in Indonesia, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed in Ethiopia on March 10, 2019, killing a total of 346 people.
According to Boeing, the 737 that crashed in China on Monday was not a Max type. In December, China's authorities cleared Max's reintroduction to commercial operation.
Boeing announced in January its third consecutive annual deficit, citing $5.5 billion in costs related to manufacturing defects that have hampered the delivery of the company's 787 Dreamliner production.
Read also: : Experts Predict Major Economic Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown, But Xi Jinping Vows To Minimize Hit
