Plane with over 100 people on board crashes in southern China

Wuzhou, China - A China Eastern Airlines plane with 132 people on board crashed near the city of Wuzhou in the southern Chinese region of Guangxi on Monday, the country's aviation authority confirmed.

Videos on social media showed smoke billowing from what appears to be the crash site.
Videos on social media showed smoke billowing from what appears to be the crash site.  © Screenshot/Twitter/@TTabaoshab

The crash was first reported by state media, which initially listed 133 passengers on board. There is currently no information about the victims or the cause of the crash.

The 132 figure included nine crew members. The plane was a Boeing 737-800NG.

Flight number MU5735 was reportedly on the way from Kunming, in Yunnan province, to Guangzhou in Guangdong province. State media reported that rescue crews were being assembled and are on their way to the hilly Teng region.

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A video circulating online in China showed a cloud of smoke rising from a wooded area. Other images showed debris strewn across walking paths. All seem to be taken with cell phone cameras. There was no way to check their veracity.

Teng is a remote region about 190 miles from Guangzhou. There were reports of a forest fire after the crash, which seemed to be corroborated by the videos spreading on social media.

State media quoted Chinese President Xi Jinping as saying that there will be an investigation into the country's aviation standards.

Cover photo: Screenshot/Twitter/@TTabaoshab

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