A Boeing 737 operated by China Eastern Airlines has crashed in the Guangxi province, regional authorities said Monday. 132 people have been confirmed to have been on board.
Per a report from the Associated Press, the flight in question was en route from Kunming (in the western province of Yunnan) to the port city of Guangzhou on Monday. Once the plane was “just southwest” of Wuzhou, it’s reported to have ceased the transmission of data before ultimately crashing near the Teng county city.
A widely cited statement from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) noted that 123 passengers were on the plane at the time of the crash, as was a nine-person crew. Initial reports, however, did not add further information regarding the statuses of those aboard.
State-owned outlet China Central Television (CCTV) said Monday that the crash had caused a fire in the mountainous area, with rescue personnel having since been sent out to the crash site. An alleged witness, meanwhile, was quoted in a separate CBS News update as telling local reporters that the plane had “completely fallen apart” during the crash.
Following the crash, Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked” by the news, calling on officials to swiftly begin search-and-rescue operations and launch investigatory efforts.
The plane in question, a Boeing 737-800, has reportedly been part of the larger China Eastern since the summer of 2015. At the time of this writing, authorities had not been reported to have pinpointed a potential cause for the crash. When reached for comment by Complex on Monday, a rep for Boeing offered the following:
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