A China Eastern Airlines passenger plane had a accident which end up with a forest fire on March 20th, with 132 passengers on board in southern China.
The Boeing 737-800 was operating flight MU 5735 when it disappeared from radar while en route between the cities of Kunming and Guangzhou, the fatal accident occurred near the city-prefecture of Wuzhou, in the south of the Asian country.
According to the Chinese Civil Administration, the Boeing 737-800 was carrying 132 passengers and 9 crew members. The Flightradar24 platform captured the aircraft flying at 29,000 ft, minutes after starting the first stage of the approach to Guangzhou. At that moment, a nosedive is observed at more than 850 km/h.
Video of the airplane falling straight
BREAKING: China Eastern Airlines plane carrying 133 people crashes in southern China – CCTV pic.twitter.com/ijl8FcKFTB
— Jimmy Wan 🇯🇵Tokyo (@JimmyWan2023) March 21, 2022
Some time later, it was confirmed that the plane fell in the south of the country, in a mountainous area in the Guangxi Region, causing a forest fire in the surroundings.
In several videos, the severity of the impact of the Boeing 737 could be seen, plummeting at high speed. Others show a fire in the impact zone and the total disintegration of the plane against the ground.
The cause of the plane crash has not yet been determined. The plane that crashed had been in service since 2015. Unfortunately, given the impact and the magnitude of the fall, it is unlikely that any survivors will be found.
My deepest condolences to the people of #China. Just heard an airplane Boeing 737 carrying 133 passengers has crashed into mountains in #Guangxi. Rescue was on its way, but there are casualties.#AirCrash #Boeing @tnatw @SCMPAsia @CGTNOfficial @SkyNewsBreak pic.twitter.com/flGGq6ZibP
— Prof Asif Ahmed (@ProfAsifAhmed) March 21, 2022
China Eastern Airlines has decided to cancel all flights on the company’s Boeing 737-800 airplane and opened a special line for the assistance of relatives of the flight passengers.
The recent accident is one of China’s worst air disasters, after a succession of deadly accidents in the 1990s the country dramatically improved its air safety record, making it one of the safest regions in the world.