An emergency search and rescue operation is in full swing following a plane carrying 132 people crashing into a mountainous area in south China, sparking a forest fire visible from space.
Chinese state media reported China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735, a Boeing 737-800, was flying a domestic route from the city of Kunming to Guangzhou when it crashed on a hill in Guangxi province, in the country's worst air disaster in nearly a decade.
Reports said rescue teams had arrived at the site of the crash, which was ablaze, but the number of casualties were unclear.
The airline said it deeply mourned the passengers and crew, without specifying how many people had been killed.
"Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU 5735. We are working with our airline customer and are ready to support them," Boeing said in a short statement.
It was not clear what caused the crash.
The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the aircraft lost contact over the city of Wuzhou.
It had 123 passengers and nine crew on board.
The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs is investigating whether any Australians were on board the flight.
The department released a statement: "We are aware of reports that China Eastern Airlines MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed in Guangxi province, China. Australian representatives in China are making urgent enquiries with the airline and local authorities to ascertain whether any Australians were on board."
China Eastern has grounded its fleet of 737-800 planes, according to state media. It has 109 of the aircraft, according to FlightRadar24.
The 737-800 has a good safety record and is the predecessor to the 737 MAX model that has been grounded in China for more than three years after fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.
'All-out' rescue efforts
China's President Xi Jinping called for an "all-out effort" to be made in the rescue operation, for post-crash arrangements to be handled appropriately and potential safety hazards investigated to ensure complete civil aviation flight safety.
The People's Daily reports that 117 rescuers have already arrived at the crash site.
Guangxi fire department is organising 650 rescuers, who are heading to the site from three directions.
The CAAC said it had sent a team of officials, and the Guangxi fire service said work was underway to control a mountainside blaze ignited by the crash.
Satellite data from NASA showed a massive fire just in the area of where the plane went down.
Flight tracking ended after an hour
The plane was six years old and took off from Kunming at 1:11pm local time, according to information on the FlightRadar24 website.
The flight tracking ended at 2:22pm at an altitude of 3,225 feet with a speed of 376 knots.
The data suggests the plane crashed within a minute and a half of whatever went wrong.
The plane had been due to land at 3:05pm local time.
The safety record of China's airline industry has been among the best in the world over the past decade.
Calls to China Eastern offices were not immediately answered. State media said local police first received calls from villagers alerting authorities to the crash at around 2:30pm.
Chicago-based Boeing said it was aware of the initial reports of the crash and was "working to gather more information." Boeing stock dropped over 8 per cent in pre-market trading early on Monday, local time.
Shanghai-based China Eastern is one of China's top three airlines, operating scores of domestic and international routes serving 248 destinations.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, China's last fatal jet accident was in 2010, when 44 of 96 people on board were killed when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on approach to Yichun airport in low visibility.
Crashes during cruise phase uncommon
Crashes during the cruise phase of flights are relatively rare, even though this period accounts for the majority of flight time.
Boeing said last year only 13 per cent of fatal commercial accidents globally between 2011 and 2020 occurred during the cruise phase, whereas 28 per cent occurred on final approach and 26 per cent on landing.
"Usually the plane is on auto-pilot during cruise stage. So it is very hard to fathom what happened," Li Xiaojin, a Chinese aviation expert, said.
Online weather data showed partly cloudy conditions with good visibility in Wuzhou at the time of the crash.
Chinese President Xi Jinping called for investigators to determine the cause of the crash as soon as possible, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Relatives, friends and colleagues of passengers gathered late on Monday in a cordoned-off area at the jet's destination, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport.
One man whose last name was Yan said a colleague had been on the plane, and he had notified the 29-year-old's mother.
"When she picked up the phone, she choked up," Yan said, adding that he had a "heavy heart" when he heard the news.
China Eastern staff were making arrangements for relatives who wished to travel to the crash site on Tuesday, Yan said. Reuters was not able to independently verify Yan's identity.
Investigators will search for the plane's black boxes — the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder — to shed light on the crash.
ABC/Reuters/AP
