A China Eastern Airlines Boeing-737 carrying 132 people on board crashed in southwest China on Monday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said, without immediately providing a report.
According to local media, China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 took off shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time (05:00 GMT) from the southwest metropolis of Kunming.
“The aircraft lost contact over the city of Wuzhou in the mountainous region of Guangxi,” CAAC said.
According to a local resident, the plane “completely fell to pieces” after crashing into a mountainside.
“The accident caused a fire in the mountain,” public television CCTV said, adding that rescue teams had been sent to the scene.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “in shock” after the crash, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
In an unusual hot reaction, the President called for “determining the causes of the accident as soon as possible”, indicated the chain.