China Eastern Airlines plane crashes with 132 on board

A Boeing 737-800 owned by China Eastern Airlines crashed in the mountains in southern China’s Guangxi region on Monday with 132 people on board, AP reports.

The latest: The number of casualties and cause of the crash were not immediately known. The Civil Aviation Administration of China confirmed the crash and said an emergency rescue team was sent to the crash site.

China’s aviation administration said the 132 people on board included 123 passengers and nine crew members.

• The flight, MU5735, lost contact around 2:15pm local time and was flying at around 30,000 feet before suddenly entering a deep dive, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, per AP.
• It was traveling from Kunming to Guangzhou and stopped transmitting data near the city of Wuzhou.
• Fire services in Guangxi said firefighters were working to control a mountainside wildfire ignited by the crash.

The plane involved in the crash was a 6-year-old Boeing 737-800, according to Reuters and FlightRadar24.

• “Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 5735. We are working with our airline customer and are ready to support them,” Boeing said in a statement, adding that it is ready to assist the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s investigation into the crash.

What they’re saying: Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts for the crash, the New York Times reported.

• “Ensure the absolute safety of civil aviation operations,” Xi said.

China’s last major fatal aviation disaster was in 2010, when at least 42 people were killed after a passenger plane overshot the runway at Yichun City’s airport.