China’s state broadcaster says no survivors have been found at the site where a Boeing 737 airplane crashed on Monday.
China Eastern has grounded its entire Boeing 737-800 fleet after the passenger plane carrying 132 people went down, with officials said to be concerned all those onboard have died.
CCTV reported on Tuesday morning, around 18 hours after the crash, that “wreckage of the plane was found at the scene, but up until now, none of those aboard the plane with whom contact was lost has been found”.
The crash – China’s worst air disaster in almost a decade – saw the plane come down in a mountainous region in southern China. Smoke could be seen rising from hills near the city of Wuzhou, in Teng county, in the province of Guangxi, after the Boeing 737 plummeted 30,000ft in two minutes.
President Xi Jinping has ordered an immediate investigation into the crash, and officials say the country’s vice-premier is overseeing the search and rescue operation.
