Boeing 737 "fell steeply": eyewitnesses report plane crash in China

A plane crashes in China. 132 people were previously on board: the first eyewitness accounts of the accident are published.

+++ 16.15: In China, a plane with 132 people on board suddenly crashed. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 fell from more than 8,800 meters, the aviation authorities reported on Monday. On board were 123 passengers and nine crew members. Without naming the exact number of victims, the airline expressed its “deep condolences to the passengers and crew members who lost their lives in the plane crash!”

Several hundred firefighters, rescue workers and villagers were deployed after the accident in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi. There were no reports of any survivors. There were no foreigners on board, state television reported. With nightfall, the rescue work became more difficult.

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There has been speculation about the cause of the sudden crash. “Even if both engines of the Boeing 737 failed at the same time, it would be impossible to fall at such a speed because the plane could still slide some distance,” an expert was quoted as saying by state media. An eyewitness told Hongxing Xinwen news site how he was driving the car and suddenly saw the plane crash. “It was an entire plane, with no smoke or fire, falling steeply.” Villagers at the crash site said the plane was “completely destroyed,” according to the Jimu Xinwen news site.

Plane crash in China: Airline confirms deaths

+++ 1.30 p.m .: After the crash of a plane in China, the Chinese airline China Eastern Airlines has confirmed the death of passengers and crew members. However, the airline did not name an exact number of victims on its website. “The company offers its deepest condolences to the passengers and crew who lost their lives in the plane crash,” the statement said. On board were 123 passengers and nine crew members. Because of the falling darkness, the salvage work in the mountainous area was very difficult, as reported by state media.

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Boeing 737 “completely destroyed”: Eyewitnesses report plane crash in China

+++ 12.35 p.m .: A plane with 132 people crashed in China. The Boeing 737 was actually on its way to Guangzhou in Guangdong Province. There is currently speculation about the cause of the sudden crash. “Even if both engines of the Boeing 737 had failed at the same time, it would be impossible to fall at such a speed because the plane could still slide a distance,” an expert was quoted as saying by state media, according to dpa.

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An eyewitness told Hongxing Xinwen news site how he was driving the car and suddenly saw the plane crash. “It was an entire aircraft, with no smoke or fire, falling steeply.” The crash site is about 300 kilometers west of Guangzhou. China’s head of state and party leader Xi Jinping called on the airline to deal with the consequences of the accident appropriately and to investigate potential dangers to air traffic, as reported by state television. China Eastern Airlines immediately ordered all Boeing 737s in its fleet grounded first.

Boeing 737 “completely destroyed”: Eyewitnesses report plane crash in China

Update from Monday, March 21, 2022, 11 a.m.: A tragic plane crash occurred in southern China. According to the aviation authority in Beijing, 132 people were on board the Boeing 737 of China Eastern Airlines. First eyewitness reports have now been published.

According to the German Press Agency, villagers reported that the machine had been “completely destroyed”. The resulting forest fire has now been extinguished, reported the news portal Jimu Xinwen. Firefighters and rescue teams, including local residents, are at the crash site in Teng County, south China’s Guangxi region, to help. Nothing is known about the fate of the occupants of the plane.

Plane crashed in China with 132 people on board – new details revealed

According to the FlightRadar24 website, the Boeing-737 lost altitude dramatically within three minutes before losing contact with the machine at 2:22 p.m. (local time) over Wuzhou. This was reported by the AFP news agency. The airline changed the color to gray on its website to express its sadness.

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China: Plane crashed with 132 people on board – first details known

First report from Monday, March 21st, 2022: Beijing – A devastating plane crash has occurred in China. A plane belonging to the Chinese airline China Eastern Airlines has crashed. As reported by Chinese state television on Monday, the accident happened near Wuzhou in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi. It is a Boeing 737-800NG. The aviation authority in Beijing confirmed the crash. There were 132 people on board, including nine crew members. In the first reports, there had been talk of 133 inmates.

According to initial information, the aircraft with flight number MU5735 was en route from Kunming in Yunnan province to Guangzhou in Guangdong province. According to state media, rescue teams have already been put together and sent to the scene of the accident in Teng County. A forest fire developed after the crash. Several videos circulating on the Chinese internet were allegedly taken near the crash site.

China: Plane crashes with 133 people on board

In one of the videos, a high cloud of smoke can be seen from afar, the forest is on fire. Another shows pieces of debris that local residents claim to have filmed with their cellphones. According to the German Press Agency, the authenticity of the videos could not initially be confirmed.

The plane crash happened in a remote and hilly area of Teng County, about 300 kilometers from Guangzhou. The flight’s status was changed to “crashed” minutes after initial reports of the crash were reported in a mobile travel app. (tu/slo/sne with dpa and AFP)

List of rubrics: © dpa