A passenger plane carrying 132 people has crashed in southern China and sparked a mountainside fire, Chinese authorities have reported.
The China Eastern Airlines flight, a Boeing 737, crashed near the city of Wuzhou in Teng County, Guangxi province. It had departed from Kunming at 1pm but did not reach its scheduled destination in Guangzhou. Flight tracking data shows the plane dropping from radar signal to the south-west of Wuzhou shortly before 2.30pm local time.
The Civil Aviation Administration said it had activated emergency protocols and sent a working group to the scene. State broadcasters said rescuers had been dispatched but there were no immediate details of casualties.
Onboard were 123 passengers and nine crew members.
Footage circulating online and published by the official state media outlet, the People’s Daily, shows a plume of smoke pouring from a mountainous region. Other clips show intense flames around a circular area, while another clip appears to show plane wreckage with the name “China Eastern Airline” visible. The Guardian has not independently verified the footage.
The plane is a six-year-old Boeing 737-89P, according to flight data trackers. The Boeing 737-800s are among the most common passenger planes in the world, and different to the 737 Max which was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019.
Additional reporting by Xiaoqian Zhu and Chi Hui Lin
