Breaking: China plane carrying 132 people crashes; no sign of survivors

The Government has announced that a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 with 132 passengers on board has crashed in Guangxi Province.

Flight MU5735 from China Eastern Airlines was scheduled to depart at 1:15 pm local time and arrive in Guangzhou at 3.07 pm. The plane, which was carrying 132 passengers, crashed in a mountainous area in Guangxi province. The accident caused a terrible fire in the mountains.

China's Civil Aviation Administration (CAAC) says a Boeing 737 en route from Kunming to southern Guangzhou lost air contact while flying over Wujo, Guangxi.

Recovery Mission

The Chinese Government says it has sent rescue workers to the scene to contain the blaze and investigate the condition of the passengers. 25 fire trucks and 117 firefighters rushed to the scene. It is feared that the rescue operation may be delayed as the area is densely wooded.

There are a total of 162 seats on this flight. The plane was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members. The Chinese Government has not yet released any information on the casualties.

Plane crash

According to FlightRadar24, the plane, which was flying over Wuzhou region, fell from an altitude of 29,100 feet to 3,225 feet in three minutes and crashed into a mountain. The agency said no information was available about the flight after 2.22pm.

The crashed Boeing has been in passenger service for six and a half years. This is the first plane crash since the 2010 plane crash in the northeastern Chinese city of Yicun.