Photos of the scene of the plane crash in China

More than 15 hours after losing contact with the plane, there is still no word on the fate of passengers and crew members. Media reported no signs of survivors, while families continued to wait.

According to the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the accident happened near Wuzhou city in the Guangxi region. The plane was en route from Kunming, Yunnan to the industrial center of Guangzhou along the east coast.

China Eastern Flight 5735 was traveling at 842 km/h at an altitude of about 8.8 km when it plunged around 2:20 pm local time. The plane plunged 2.2 km before regaining an altitude of about 365 m for a short time, then plunged again. The plane stopped transmitting data 96 seconds after it started crashing.

Local villagers were the first to arrive in the area, where the crash created a fire large enough to be visible on NASA satellite images. Hundreds of rescue workers were quickly dispatched from Guangxi and neighboring Guangdong province to the scene.

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out efforts” for the rescue operation, as well as to investigate the accident and fully ensure the safety of civil aviation.

Relatives of the crew members arrived at the China Eastern office near Kunming airport where the plane took off.

According to Chinese state media, all 737-800 planes in China Eastern’s fleet have been grounded. Aviation experts say it is unusual for an entire fleet to be grounded unless there is evidence of a problem with that model. China has the most 737-800s in the world – almost 1,200 – and if similar planes operated by other Chinese airlines were to be grounded, this “could have a significant impact on tourism in the region.” water”, according to the expert.

Boeing 737-800 planes have been in service since 1998 with more than 5,100 sold. According to Aviation Safety Network data, the Boeing 737-800 was involved in 22 crashes and killed 612 people.

This isn’t the Boeing 737 Max – planes grounded worldwide for nearly two years following deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.

The US National Transportation Safety Board said it has selected a senior investigator to help investigate the crash. The US Federal Aviation Administration said it was ready to assist with the investigation if requested.

Accident investigations are usually directed by officials in the country where the crash occurred, including the aircraft manufacturer and either an investigator or regulatory element in the country of manufacture.