China Plane Crash: Chinese envoy thanks PM over prayers for crash victims

Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong on Monday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for offering prayers and sympathy over the Eastern Boeing 737 passenger plane crash incident. The plane, which was en route to Guangzhou, had 132 people on board. Read Full Story.

A firefighting department official on Monday has said that there is 'no sign' of survivors among the debris as the search and rescue operation is underway, according to People's Daily. 

Grieving relatives and family members of the passengers who were travelling on board Chinese Eastern flight MU5735 arrived at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. They were seen waiting at the temporarily cordoned off area to gain some information for victims as casualties are yet to be announced officially. 

Credit: Chinatopix via AP

The DGCA has put the Boeing 737 fleets of Indian carriers on “enhanced surveillance” after a China Eastern Airlines aircraft of the same make crashed on Monday killing 132 people, its chief Arun Kumar said. Four Indian carriers — SpiceJet, Vistara, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express — have Boeing 737 aircraft in their fleets. 

When asked what steps the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is taking following Monday’s crash, Kumar told PTI, “Flight safety is serious business and we are closely studying the situation. In the interim, we are focusing on enhanced surveillance of our 737 fleet.” A Boeing 737-800 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, which was on way from Kunming to Guangzhou, crashed in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, killing 123 passengers and nine crew members.

Boeing 737 Max aircraft is an advanced version of Boeing 737-800 and both belong to the 737 series. The US-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing did not respond to PTI’s request for a statement on the matter. Two Boeing 737 Max aircraft were involved in accidents in the six month period between October 2018 and March 2019, killing a total of 346 people. Following these two accidents, the DGCA had banned Boeing 737 Max planes in India in March 2019.

Source: PTI

Chicago-based Boeing Co. on Monday stated that it is aware of the initial reports of the crash of China Eastern Airlines and was “working to gather more information.” Boeing stock dropped over 8% in pre-market trading. 

Following the crash in China, shares of Boeing Co were down 6.4% at $180.44 in premarket trade, as per media reports. 

China Eastern Airlines has set up nine dedicated teams that are assigned operations such as aircraft disposal, accident investigation, and family assistance for the deceased passengers. The official figure of the casualties is still unknown. 

Local police on Monday said that it received calls from frantic villagers who first alerted about the crash of the China Eastern Airlines at around 2:30 p.m. (0630 GMT). Guangxi provincial emergency management department further said that the contact with the plane was lost at 2:15 p.m. (0615 GMT).

In this image taken from video footage run by China's CCTV, emergency personnel travel to the site of a plane crash near Wuzhou in southwestern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Monday, March 21, 2022. Credit: CCTV via AP

 A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in the southern province of Guangxi. Credit: CCTV via AP

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for an “all-out effort” to be made in the rescue operation, for post-crash arrangements to be handled appropriately and potential safety hazards investigated to ensure complete civil aviation flight safety.Credit: CCTV via AP

China Eastern one of Beijing's three major air carriers crashed in the remote region with difficult terrain and a forested area after taking off from the city of Kunming shortly after 1pm (05:00 GMT). Fire services in Guangxi have been working to control mountainside flames. The plane was flying at a speed of 376 knots (696km/hour).

China's commercial flight MU5735 carrying 132 people including the aircraft staff lost contact around 2:15 pm local time while it was flying at around 30,000 feet. It stopped transmitting the data to the air traffic controller near the city of Wuzhou and then suddenly was spotted coming down from the sky in a deep dive. 

The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 descended from 30,000 ft. to ground level for over three minutes. The Boeing 737-800 aircraft that departed Kunming at around 1:11 p.m had overall clocked 17,708 hours over 8,734 cycles, as per the Aviation Week Network Fleet Discovery database. It was delivered to China in June 2015. 

Credit: FlightRadar 24

Credit: FlightRadar

As China's President Xi Jinping activated the emergency mechanism after the deadly and harrowing Boeing 737 plane crash that later was engulfed by the blazes, Beijing's State Council is now planning to allocate officials to address plane crash aftermath 'on priority'. While no official casualty figures have been handed by the Chinese government as rescue operations are underway, Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece Global Times reported that no efforts are being spared to find survivors from the plane wreck and debris. The fire on the scene is being contained. 

READ FULL REPORT HERE 

The Civil Aviation Administration of China  (CAAC) has released a statement confirming the crash of China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating flight MU5735 with 132 people on board. The plane it said crashed in Guangxi. There were 132 people on board - 123 passengers and 9 crew, it officially stated. CAAC also activated its “emergency mechanisms.” Guangxi Emergency Management Department told China Daily that the incident ignited “mountain fire” as the aircraft burst into flames. 

China Eastern Airlines has muted its colour scheme on the official website in order to honour the victims of the Boeing 737 plane crash. Boeing 737 carrying 132 people crashed into a mountain and busted into the fire after the deadly accident. Footages showed the aircraft plunging onto the ground in a near-vertical collision. 

Credit: China Eastern Airlines 

A Chinese flight carrying 132 people crashed in the southern region of Guangxi, state media reported on March 21. According to CCTV footage, the crash involved a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 and took place near Wuzhou in Teng county.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) stated that rescuers had been dispatched and that the number of dead and injured had yet to be confirmed.

READ THE TOP DEVELOPMENTS HERE

As per a Global Times report, the State Council will assign officials to deal with the accident as a priority, identify the cause as soon as possible, and strengthen the investigation of safety hazards in civil aviation to ensure the absolute safety of aviation operations and people's lives in the future.

As per Global Times, Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the immediate activation of the emergency mechanism for the plane crash, sparing no efforts on search and rescue, and properly handling of the aftermath.

At least 300 rescue workers were racing at the accident site to find survivors by early evening,  another 150 are scheduled to arrive later in the night, the local forest fire service told Chinese media. 

China Eastern Airlines plane that went down near the city of Wuzhou in Teng County was in air 'for just over an hour', Flight tracking sites report. Guangxi is a southern province neighbouring Guangzhou, a major city in the south-east where the plane has crashed and combusted into fire. Casualties still remain unclear,

China Eastern Airlines plane carrying 132 people crashed has a total of 162 seats, including 12 business class seats and 150 economy class seats.

Official website of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on Monday afternoon that the casualties figures are yet to be determined as the working group is on-site of the crash on the rescue mission. The plane has caused a fierce fire in the forest after it hit the hill in a deadly accident. A huge plume of smoke and fire was seen emanating in the footages in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang as workers were seen deployed near the plane wreck. 

Chinese state press that reached out to the China Eastern Airlines for comments on the deadly crash of the MU 5735 commercial; flight has made no official comments. The Boeing 737 jet took off from Kunming Changshui airport in Southwest China’s Yunnan Province at 13:15, and was involved in a major accident before it could reach its destination. 

There were a total of 123 passengers travelling on the plane, with 9 crew members including the pilot, as per China's Civil Aviation Administration

While the number of casualties in the crash of the Boeing 737 jet in China's mountainous region reason is unknown at this time, and the cause of the accident is being investigated, the first deployment of firefighters has already arrived on the scene, with backup. China's Wuzhou Fire Brigade informed the Global Times newspaper that the team has arrived with 'backup' if needed for the search and rescue operation. 

An official of the Wuzhou Fire Brigade that deployed a rescue team at the crash site of China's MU 5735 flight has said that there are a total of 25 fire engines and 117 firefighters working at the scene to find the survivors. "As the accident site is too remote and in the mountains, fire engines could not reach the wreckage, firefighters entered on foot,” he told Chinese state-affiliated media Global Times. 

After China's Boeing 737 carrier crashed with 132 people onboard, the shares of the US-listed China Eastern Airlines plummeted by more than 10% before market opening, Chinese state-affiliated media Global Times reports. The commercial plane crash has ignited massive blazes in the mountains of South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The crash invoked the fatal tragedy that occurred in Yichun, Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province back in 2010.

The Henan Airlines aircraft with 91 people on board had burst into flames after overshooting the runway at Yichun City's airport. There were 49 survivors all of whom were in critical condition due to the impact of plane freefall onto the ground. The Embraer ERJ-190 had taken off from the provincial capital Harbin with five crew members and five children. 

The Boeing 737 plane operated by Chinese Eastern airlines was cleared to return to service late last year after the 737 Max version was grounded worldwide following at least two plane crashes. All 737 Max planes were grounded after an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed, killing 157 people. In another fatal crash189 people were killed in a Lion Air crash. The worldwide fleet of 737 Max planes totalled 387 aircraft that were grounded. Boeing had admitted that the firm was "aware" of the problem with its 737 Max jets as there were two fatal accidents involving the civilian population. 

According to Aviation Safety Network, China's last fatal jet accident was in 2010, when 44 of 96 people on board were killed when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on approach to Yichun airport in low visibility. 

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.

A Boeing 737 plane operated by Chinese Eastern airlines which was flying a domestic route from the city of Kunming to Guangzhou has crashed on a hill in Guangxi province igniting forest fire. 132 passengers were reported to be onboard and no casualties have been reported yet. The rescue efforts are underway. 

Chinese Eastern airlines Boeing 737 reportedly hit a mountain and exploded into a massive fire with thick plumes of smoke that was witnessed in the forest atop the hill. The commercial plane wreck is on fire in the rural countryside near Wuzhou city, Guangxi region,  CCTV said, citing the provincial emergency management bureau. "A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 plane carrying 132 people has crashed in Teng county, Wuzhou, Guangxi, and caused a mountain fire," Chinese state affiliated media CCTV said. China Eastern flight MU5735 had not arrived at its scheduled destination in Guangzhou. It took off from the city of Kunming shortly after 1:00 pm (0500 GMT) Monday as per the airport staff.

After the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 plane carrying 132 people crashed in Teng county, Wuzhou, Guangxi, authorities are fearing that there may be grim hope of finding survivors although no official update on the casualties was shared by the Chinese government yet. Fire fighting rescue teams have been dispatched to the site. Footages showed the wrecks of the plane scattered on the ground in the forested area near the mountains. The crash has caused a huge fire on the hill. 

China Eastern Airlines (600115.SS) aircraft with 133 people took off from Kunming heading for Guangzhou and crashed without making it to its destination. There was no word on the cause of the crash of the plane, a 6-year-old 737-800 aircraft, according to Flightradar24. The China Eastern flight from Kunming to Guangzhou departed at 1:11 p.m. (0511 GMT), FlightRadar24 data showed. The flight-tracking ended at 2:22 p.m. (0622 GMT) an altitude of 3225 feet with a speed of 376 knots. It had been due to land at 3:05 p.m. (0705 GMT).