The Chinese regional emergency management department said that a passenger plane with 132 passengers crashed in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday afternoon.
The Boeing 737 aircraft of China Eastern Airlines took off from Kunming to reach the destination Guangzhou but in between, the plane crashed at about 2:38 p.m. into a mountainous area near the Molang village in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, causing a mountain fire, according to Xinhua citing the emergency management department.
The flight MU5735 had 123 passengers and nine crew members, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on its website.
The administration stated that the emergency response mechanism has been initiated and also dispatched a working team to the site.
The fire has now been under control and the rescue operation is underway, Chen Jie, an official with the regional emergency management department said.
The regional fire department in their Weibo account said that the Wuzhou fire brigade has sent 117 firefighters, 23 fire trucks to the site and 538 firefighters from other parts of Guangxi have also been dispatched to join in the rescue efforts.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring Guangdong Province has dispatched 505 firefighters and 97 vehicles to aid the rescue operation. For medical help, Guangxi regional health commission has dispatched 12 medical experts to the site while over 80 medical workers and 36 ambulances were sent by health authorities in the city of Wuzhou.
China Eastern Airlines on Monday said that it has initiated an emergency response mechanism following the crash.They have also established nine special working groups for aircraft disposal, accident investigation, family assistance, logistics support, legal support, public relations, security, financial insurance, and cargo disposal.
The company said that the cause of the accident would be fully investigated.
( With inputs from ANI )
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