A Chinese passenger jet went down early Monday and there were no survivors, according to various reports. Even more horrific is the apparent nature of the crash, as video footage suggests the aircraft went down in a nosedive.
“A Boeing 737 carrying 132 people has plummeted 30,000ft to the ground before bursting into flames in remote Chinese mountains – with no sign of survivors,” the Daily Mail reported. “The China Eastern Airlines flight nosedived before smashing into the hillside and erupting in a huge fireball near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county in the southern province of Guangxi.”
“A rescue official reportedly said the plane had completely disintegrated while a fire sparked by the crash burned down bamboo and trees before being put out,” the British newspaper said.
Here is disturbing footage believed to be the aircraft in its final seconds:
Final seconds of #MU5735 pic.twitter.com/gCoMX1iMDL
— ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) March 21, 2022
Video footage of the purported crash site reflects what was reported about the aircraft completing disintegrating:
Crash site pic.twitter.com/8qJWYK8FhS
— ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) March 21, 2022
A #China Eastern Boeing 737 with 132 onboard crashed and caused a mountain fire in South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the number of casualties is not clear yet, the official website of Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Monday afternoon.#PlaneCrash pic.twitter.com/dPZUajOu3q
— Arshad Mahmood ارشد محمود (@arshadm_88) March 21, 2022
The plane was believed to be a Boeing 737-89P, according to the Aviation Safety Network, with the Daily Mail noting that this aircraft “is not part of the MAX series that has been dogged by problems in recent years.”
We are following multiple unconfirmed reports about a possible accident involving China Eastern Airlines flight #MU5735 a Boeing 737-89P (B-1791) en route from Kunming to Guanghzou, China. pic.twitter.com/d8MhU7mZPv
— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) March 21, 2022
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in an online announcement: “At present, it has been confirmed that this flight has crashed.”
The CAAC added that it had activated its emergency response and “dispatched a working group to the scene.”
The Civil Aviation Administration of China has released a statement confirming the crash in Guangxi and states that 132 people were on board – 123 passengers and 9 crew. pic.twitter.com/gcbt4R72vH
— Debi Edward (@debiedwarditv) March 21, 2022
“We are shocked to learn of the China Eastern MU5735 accident,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said, according to state broadcaster CCTV. He also called for “all efforts” to be taken to find out the “cause of the accident as soon as possible.”
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Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
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