Video at the Time of the Accident Shows Passenger Plane Falling Vertically... Dongbang Airlines Expresses Deep Condolences
Chinese Media Review Past Boeing 737-800 Accidents... Different Model from 737MAX
[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] China Eastern Airlines officially announced that there were no foreign passengers on board the Boeing 737-800NG passenger plane (MU 5735) that crashed on the 21st. The aircraft had a total of 132 people on board, including 123 passengers and 9 crew members.
China Eastern Airlines officially announced that the Kunming to Guangzhou passenger flight MU5735 lost contact and crashed over Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
China Eastern Airlines stated that the cause of the crash is currently under investigation, and the company will actively cooperate with the related investigation. They also expressed deep condolences to the passengers and crew who died in the crash.
Videos capturing the crash scene suggest that the possibility of survivors is very slim.
Chinese media Pengpai reported that false information about the accident is spreading on the internet and provided 10 confirmed facts including the time, location, and rescue situation of the accident.
The passenger plane took off from Kunming Airport at 1:10 PM on the 21st and was originally scheduled to land at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport at 2:52 PM. The aircraft disappeared from radar around 2:21 PM as its altitude rapidly dropped.
Pengpai reported that the crash site was a mountain near Tangnan Village, Teng County, Wuzhou City, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. Immediately after the accident, 117 firefighters and rescue workers arrived at the site first, followed by 760 firefighters dispatched to conduct search operations.
Additionally, military personnel including an army aviation brigade near the crash site were deployed for search and rescue operations.
At the same time, the Guangxi Health and Hygiene Commission urgently dispatched a medical team composed of burn and orthopedic specialists.
Pengpai explained that after verifying videos taken by eyewitnesses, the passenger plane did not explode and disintegrate in the air but crashed vertically onto the ground. Pengpai added that the authenticity of the crash videos was confirmed.
Pengpai emphasized that false information claiming that seven leaders of the Kunming World Expo were on board is spreading on social media (SNS), and reported that this is merely a rumor.
Chinese media also reported detailed specifications of the crashed aircraft. The aircraft was 6.8 years old, making it a relatively new plane, according to Chinese media.
They also stated that the crashed aircraft was a Boeing 737-800 model manufactured by the American company Boeing. Currently, more than 1,300 Boeing 737-800 aircraft are operating in China, accounting for 37% of all civil aircraft in China, Chinese media reported. They further clarified that the Boeing 737-800 model is a different aircraft from the Boeing 737 MAX model.
Chinese media also reviewed past accident cases involving the Boeing 737-800 model. In March 2016, a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane heading from Dubai, United Arab Emirates to Russia crashed while landing.
In September 2018, a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane heading from Tokyo, Japan to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea crashed into the sea while landing. In February 2020, a Boeing 737-800 passenger plane heading from Izmir to Istanbul, Turkey veered off the runway. In August of the same year, a Boeing 737-800 aircraft heading from Dubai to Kozhikode Calicut Airport in India veered off the runway, resulting in 21 deaths and 75 serious injuries.
China Eastern Airlines suspended all operations of its Boeing 737-800 fleet immediately after the accident.
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