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• The number of casualties is not known as of yet
• Chinese President Xi ordered an investigation into the cause of the crash
A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane carrying 132 people crashed in China on Monday, reported a China aviation industry official.
The domestic flight, which carried 123 passengers and nine crew members, was scheduled to fly from Kunming to Guangzhou.
China's Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said the flight lost contact over the city of Wuzhou. The plane began to descend sharply, which later crashed in the mountains in southern China.
The number of casualties is not known as of yet.
China Eastern Airlines confirmed the crash and also provided a hotline for relatives of the passengers on the flight. The airlines said it is sending workers to the site of the crash.
According to FlightRadar24, the flight left Kunming at 1:11 p.m. local time (1:11 a.m. ET) and was scheduled to reach Guangzhou in two hours.
According to state media CCTV, CNBC reported that Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was "shocked" to learn of the incident.
Xi ordered the airline to start an investigation into the crash's cause and organize rescue efforts.
Boeing shares
Shares of Boeing fell over 8% in premarket trade on Monday.
The crash comes when Boeing is trying to recover its reputation after the company's 737 Max passenger aircraft was grounded worldwide between March 2019 and December 2020.
The aircraft was grounded after two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia due to manufacturing faults.
Picture Credits: Reuters