Boeing 737-800 Passenger Plane Disappears at 8,869m Altitude
Crashes into Mountain in Teng County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] A Boeing 737-800NG passenger plane (MU 5735) belonging to China Eastern Airlines, carrying 123 passengers, has crashed.
According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) on the 21st, the passenger plane departing from Kunming, Yunnan Province in the south and heading to Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, lost communication over the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and was confirmed to have crashed.
Chinese media, including the state-run China Central Television (CCTV), reported that a wildfire broke out in the crash area.
Chinese media reported that a total of 132 people were on board the accident aircraft, including 123 passengers and 9 crew members.
The accident aircraft departed Kunming at 1:15 PM (local time) and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou at 2:55 PM.
Chinese media reported that the passenger plane, which took off from Kunming, suddenly lost altitude while cruising at an altitude of 8,869 meters and disappeared from radar around 2:21 PM, describing the accident situation.
The crash site was confirmed to be Teng County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The aircraft involved in this accident was known to be only 6.8 years old.
Some Chinese media also conveyed eyewitness testimony stating that "the plane fell vertically from the sky."
Another Chinese media outlet reported that the record of over 4,000 days of accident-free flights for Chinese civil aviation was broken.
Upon hearing the news of the accident, China Eastern Airlines adjusted its official website to black and white.
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