Guwahati: A China Eastern Airlines plane carrying 133 passengers from Kunming to Guangzhou suffered a “accident” in the Guangxi area on Monday, causing a fire in the mountains.
The plane involved in the crash was a Boeing 737, and the number of people killed or injured was not immediately known, according to CCTV. Teams of rescuers were dispatched to the location.
A “China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 airliner carrying 133 people crashed in Teng county, Wuzhou, Guangxi, causing a mountain fire,” according to CCTV.
The twin-engine, single-aisle Boeing 737 is one of the most popular short- and medium-haul jets in the world.
The 737-800 and the 737 Max are two versions of the common aircraft operated by China Eastern.
After two tragic crashes, the 737 Max was grounded all over the world. Late this year, China’s aviation regulator approved the plane’s return to operation, making it the last major market to do so.
China Eastern Airlines is one of the country’s three major airlines.
According to local media, China Eastern flight MU5735 did not arrive at its scheduled destination in Guangzhou after taking off from Kunming shortly after 1:00 p.m. (0500 GMT) on Monday.
According to ASN, the most recent major incident at China Eastern occurred in June 2013, when an Embraer SA plane went off the runway while landing in Shanghai airport.
It may be mentioned that in late 2004, a China Eastern jetliner bound for Shanghai crashed in Inner Mongolia, killing 53 people on board and two people on the ground. That was the worst aviation accident in China in 30 months at the time.