Horrifying moment Boeing 737 passenger jet carrying 132 people plummets 30,000ft to the ground before bursting into flames ‘with no sign of survivors’ in remote Chinese mountains
A Boeing 737 carrying 132 people has plummeted 30,000ft to the ground before bursting into flames in a remote Chinese mountain range – with no sign of survivors.
The China Eastern Airlines flight nosedived before smashing into the hillside and erupting in a huge fireball near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county in the southern province of Guangxi.
A rescue official reportedly said the plane had completely disintegrated while a fire sparked by the crash ripped through bamboo and trees before being put out.
Horrifying CCTV footage emerged on social media supposedly showing the jet racing vertically towards the ground in the moments before the smash.
President Xi Jinping said that he was ‘shocked’ by the incident and immediately ordered an investigation into the cause.
It is not yet clear what caused the sudden dip and crash, but aviation experts told reporters it may have been ‘a loss of control event, possibly following a high altitude stall of the aircraft’ or a sensory failure in the cockpit.
The plane, flight number MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou, is believed to be a Boeing 737-89P, which is not part of the MAX series that has been dogged by problems in recent years.
The crash will renew calls for China to make its aviation safety record – which is considered good but allegedly sees an under-reporting of safety lapses – more transparent.
