China rescue teams scour site of fatal plane crash
Mar 22, 2022: Rescue workers in China are searching the mountainous forest slopes in southern China, where a China Eastern Airlines plane crashed and caught fire, leaving no survivors, state media reported.
State media described the situation as “grim” with hundreds of firefighters and paramilitary troops, some with dogs, deployed at the scene. Seeing the flames, local villagers also rushed to the rescue. Explaining the difficult terrain, state media said the crash site was surrounded by mountains on three sides, accessible by a short route. Rain is also forecast in the area this week.
The flight MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou had 132 people on board, including nine crew members, when it crashed in the mountains of southern Guangxi.
“Wreckage of the plane was found at the scene, but up until now, none of those aboard the plane with whom contact was lost have been found,” state broadcaster CCTV reported.
The crash of the Boeing 737-800 is the first commercial aircraft crash in China since the 2010 when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on approach to Yichun airport in low visibility, killing 44 of 96 people on board.
The wreckage was scattered on mountain slopes, and the state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the crash had created a deep hole in the mountain area. Other media outlets reported burning of ID cards, purses and wallets.
The plane was flying at high altitude when it suddenly fell from the sky. The flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed that the plane fell from 29,100 feet to 7,850 feet in just one minute. After a brief upswing, it then plunged to 3,225 feet, the tracker said.
Chinese media carried brief highway video footage from a vehicle’s dashcam showing a jet diving to the ground behind trees at an angle of about 35 degrees off vertical.
Experts said it was too early to draw conclusions on the potential causes of Monday afternoon’s crash.
Hassan Shahidi, president and CEO of the Flight Safety Foundation said accidents at cruising altitude were “certainly rare” whether in China or elsewhere.
Soon after the tragedy, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a full investigation into the crash.
Meanwhile, China Eastern one of the country’s three major airlines on Monday grounded its fleet of 737-800 planes, state media reported. It has 109 of the aircraft, according to FlightRadar24.
On the other hand, Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun told employees that the manufacturer had offered the full support of its technical experts in the crash investigation.
“Trust that we will be doing everything we can to support our customer and the accident investigation during this difficult time, guided by our commitment to safety, transparency, and integrity at every step,” Calhoun said in an email to employees.
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