Photo taken on March 21, 2022 shows local policemen carrying out rescue work at the site of the plane crash in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Tengxian County's public security bureau /Handout via Xinhua)
NANNING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A passenger plane with 132 people aboard crashed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Monday afternoon, said the regional emergency management department.
The Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines, which took off from Kunming and was bound for Guangzhou, crashed at about 2:38 p.m. into a mountainous area near the Molang village in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire, according to the department.
The 132 people onboard flight MU5735 were 123 passengers and nine crew members, said the Civil Aviation Administration of China on its website. The administration said it has initiated the emergency response mechanism and dispatched a working team to the site.
The fire has been put out and the rescue operation is underway, said Chen Jie, an official with the regional emergency management department.
The Wuzhou fire brigade has sent 117 firefighters with 23 fire trucks to the site. Further 538 firefighters from other parts of Guangxi have been dispatched to join in the rescue efforts, the regional fire department said at its Weibo account.
The neighboring Guangdong Province has dispatched 505 firefighters and 97 vehicles to aid the rescue operation, with the first batch having arrived at the scene.
The Guangxi regional health commission has dispatched 12 medical experts to the site while over 80 medical workers and 36 ambulances sent by health authorities in the city of Wuzhou have arrived at the scene.
Boeing China said it is aware of the media reports of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft crash and is working to gather more information. ■
