A tragic plane crash that has claimed the lives of 132 people occurred in Southern China near the city of Wuzhou. Reportedly, the plane was flying at 30,000 feet moments before it plunged into a nosedive, which was captured on camera striking a forested hillside, resulting in a massive explosion that scattered debris and set wide swaths of forest ablaze.
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An airplane carrying 132 passengers in Southern China near the city of Wuzhou has crashed.
The plane had been reportedly flying at 30,000 feet moments before it nosedived and was captured on camera striking a forested hillside, resulting in a massive explosion that scattered debris and set wide swaths of forest ablaze.
There have been no reports of any survivors.
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According to the state-run media outlet, The People's Daily, the crash happened in the afternoon around 2:30 PM, with a local rescue official declaring that the plane had "disintegrated" upon impact and that there were "no signs of life" among the debris.
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Reportedly, Flight 5735 was making its routine flight from Kumming, where it took after only an hour ago and Guangzhou before radio personnel lost contact with the plane.
Only fifteen minutes later, the fatal crash happened.
The China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 suffered a catastrophic 'loss of control event' and nosedived irrreversibly before smashing into the Chinese hillside, erupting in a huge fireball and causing a forest fire visible in NASA satellite images taken from Space, near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county in the southern province of Guangxi.
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According to the rescue report, the plane had disintegrated when the fire sparked as the plane crashed through bamboo and trees before it was put out.
China Eastern expressed 'deep condolences' after confirming the fatalities of 123 passengers and nine crew who were onboard, adding that all the victims were Chinese.
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Disturbing social media footages show the plane racing vertically towards the ground in the moments before the smash.
The incident is reportedly called China's worst air travel crisis occurred in decades and has received instructions from Chinese President Xi Jinping calling for a full investigation into the mysterious circumstances of the accident.
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President Xi said: 'We are shocked to learn of the China Eastern MU5735 accident.
He also called for 'all efforts' towards the rescue and to find out the 'cause of the accident as soon as possible'.
An eyewitness told a local news site the plane involved in the crash had 'completely fallen apart' and he had seen forest destroyed by the fire caused by the crash.
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A local official added: 'The exact location of the accident was Langnan township in Teng county.'
Families of those onboard gathered in China Eastern Airlines' Yunan branch late on Monday and were assisted by staff as they wait for news of their loved ones.
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