China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 5735 crashed in the mountains of China’s Guangxi region on March 21.
The Boeing 737, carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, was en route from Kunming to Guangzhou when it lost contact over the city of Wuzhou at 2:15 pm local time, according to an online statement by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The flight dropped in altitude from 29,000 to 4,000 feet within three minutes, according to aviation data services from VariFlight.
“The plane fell vertically from the sky,” an eyewitness told Beijing Youth Daily. “Although I was very far away, I could still see that it was a plane. The plane did not smoke during the fall. The fire started after it fell into the mountain, followed by a lot of smoke.”
China Eastern Airlines has activated its emergency procedures and has established an emergency line for the passengers’ families. The airline grounded all of its other Boeing flights a few hours after the crash. As of the afternoon of Mar. 22 local time, rescue efforts are still underway. There has been no mention of survivors.
“The cause of the plane crash is still under investigation. The company expresses its sorrowful condolences to the passengers and crew members who died in this plane crash,” China Eastern said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 5735,” said Boeing in their statement. “We are working with our airline customers and are ready to support them.” Boeing added that they are in contact with the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), whose technical experts are assisting the CAAC with their investigation. NTSB has “appointed a senior air safety investigator as a U.S. accredited representative to the investigation,” who is being directed by the CAAC.
