Friday, 19 August 2022
Meet the JournalistsPremiumAucklandWellingtonCanterbury/South Island
CrimePoliticsHealthEducationEnvironment and ClimateNZ Herald FocusData journalismKāhu, Māori ContentPropertyWeather
Small BusinessOpinionPersonal FinanceEconomyBusiness TravelCapital Markets
Politics
Premium SportRugbyCricketRacingNetballBoxingLeagueFootballSuper RugbyAthleticsBasketballMotorsportTennisCyclingGolfAmerican SportsHockeyUFC
NZH Local FocusThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay of Plenty TimesHawke's Bay TodayRotorua Daily PostWhanganui ChronicleStratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu Courier
Covid-19
Te Rito
Te Rito
OneRoof PropertyCommercial Property
Open JusticeVideoPodcastsTechnologyWorldOpinion
SpyTVMoviesBooksMusicCultureSideswipeCompetitions
Fashion & BeautyFood & DrinkRoyalsRelationshipsWellbeingPets & AnimalsVivaCanvasEat WellCompetitionsRestaurants & Menus
New Zealand TravelAustralia TravelInternational Travel
Our Green FutureRuralOneRoof Property
Career AdviceCorporate News
Driven MotoringPhotos
SudokuCodecrackerCrosswordsWordsearchDaily quizzes
Classifieds
KaitaiaWhangareiDargavilleAucklandThamesTaurangaHamiltonWhakataneRotoruaTokoroaTe KuitiTaumarunuiTaupoGisborneNew PlymouthNapierHastingsDannevirkeWhanganuiPalmerston NorthLevinParaparaumuMastertonWellingtonMotuekaNelsonBlenheimWestportReeftonKaikouraGreymouthHokitikaChristchurchAshburtonTimaruWanakaOamaruQueenstownDunedinGoreInvercargill
NZ HeraldThe Northern AdvocateThe Northland AgeThe AucklanderWaikato HeraldBay Of Plenty TimesRotorua Daily PostHawke's Bay TodayWhanganui ChronicleThe Stratford PressManawatu GuardianKapiti NewsHorowhenua ChronicleTe Awamutu CourierVivaEat WellOneRoofDriven MotoringThe CountryPhoto SalesNZ Herald InsightsWatchMeGrabOneiHeart RadioRestaurant Hub

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
World

China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 carrying 132 crashes in province of Guangxi

21 Mar, 2022 08:37 AM4 minutes to read
There was no immediate word on numbers of dead and injured.

There was no immediate word on numbers of dead and injured.

AP

A China Eastern Boeing 737-800 with 132 people on board crashed in a remote mountainous area of southern China on Monday, officials said, setting off a forest fire visible from space in the country's worst air disaster in nearly a decade.

Broadcaster CCTV said the accident involved a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 and occurred near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county.

It said rescuers had been dispatched and there was no immediate confirmation of numbers of dead and injured.

One villager told a local news site that the plane involved in the crash had "completely fallen apart" and he had seen nearby forest areas destroyed by a fire caused when the plane crashed onto the mountainside.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

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. State media said earlier there were 133 people on board.

"At present, it has been confirmed that this flight has crashed," the CAAC said, adding that it had activated its emergency response and "dispatched a working group to the scene".

Shanghai-based China Eastern is one of China's top three airlines, operating scores of domestic and international routes serving 248 destinations.

A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 operating flight MU5735 has reportedly crashed near Wuzhou in southern China. Initial reports say 133 onboard.pic.twitter.com/iipgQYGkhK

— WLVN Analysis🔍 (@TheLegateIN) March 21, 2022

The flight that crashed appeared to be Flight No MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightRadar24. It showed the Boeing 737-89P rapidly lost speed after 0620 GMT before entering a sharp descent.

The plane stopped transmitting data just southwest of the Chinese city of Wuzhou.

Chicago-based Boeing Co. did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Related articles

World

Live: At least 8 dead as bombs destroy Kyiv shopping mall in biggest attack on capital

21 Mar 05:00 PM
World

After China's worst air crash in years, a desperate hunt for survivors

22 Mar 01:58 AM
There was no immediate word on numbers of dead and injured.
There was no immediate word on numbers of dead and injured.

The aircraft was delivered to China Eastern from Boeing in June 2015 and had been flying for over six years.

The twin-engine, single-aisle Boeing 737 is one of the world's most popular planes for short and medium-haul flights.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

China Eastern operates multiple versions of the common aircraft, including the 737-800 and the 737 Max. It is one of China's three major air carriers.

The 737 Max version was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes. China's aviation regulator cleared that plane to return to service late last year, making the country the last major market to do so.

China had enjoyed an enviable air safety record in recent years in a country serviced by new airlines established to match the country's breakneck growth over the last few decades.

A Henan Airlines flight crashed in northeastern Heilongjiang province in 2010, killing at least 42 out of 92 people on board although the final toll was never confirmed.

It was the last Chinese commercial passenger flight crash that caused civilian casualties. The deadliest Chinese commercial flight crash was a China Northwest Airlines crash in 1994 which killed all 160 onboard.

Serious questions asked about Boeing

The crash comes amid falling trust in Boeing after two crashes involving the planes in recent years.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

The iconic company, created in 1916, introduced the commercial jet that made flying affordable for most people and for many years was the most popular supplier of aircraft to airlines around the world.

At any minute there are around 10,000 Boeing planes in service in more than 150 countries around the globe.

But that trust was shaken when two planes fell out of the sky killing hundreds, within months of each other — Lion Air Flight 610 which crashed in Indonesia in 2018, killing 189 people, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 which claimed 157 lives when it crashed in Ethiopia.

What was extremely shocking was they were both brand new planes, the 737 Max.

Jon Ostrower, Editor in Chief of aviation publication The Air Current said: "Two crashes of brand new aeroplanes within five months of each other, that doesn't happen in modern aviation."

• Air New Zealand no longer uses Boeing 737s for its domestic routes, opting in 2015 for an Airbus A320 fleet. Qantas uses some 737-800s for transtasman flights.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

WorldUpdated

Desperate Putin's extraordinary offer to women

18 Aug 08:29 AM
World

Death toll in Afghan capital mosque bombing now 21

18 Aug 07:21 AM
World

America announces trade talks with Taiwan as island holds military drills

18 Aug 07:20 AM
World

Trump FBI raid: Media to ask judge to release search warrant affidavit

18 Aug 07:14 AM
Premium
World

Behind enemy lines, Ukrainians tell Russians 'you are never safe'

18 Aug 07:00 AM

Most Popular

Premium
Sideswipe: Like a scarecrow, for meat robbers?
Entertainment

Sideswipe: Like a scarecrow, for meat robbers?

18 Aug 05:00 PM
Premium
The former bankers taking a bite out of the $110 billion business lending market
Business

The former bankers taking a bite out of the $110 billion business lending market

18 Aug 05:00 PM
Premium
Julie Chapman: Pets caught in violent break-ups
New Zealand

Julie Chapman: Pets caught in violent break-ups

18 Aug 05:00 PM

Advertisement

Advertise with NZME.
About NZMEHelp & SupportContact UsSubscribe to NZ HeraldHouse Rules
Manage Your Print SubscriptionNZ Herald E-EditionAdvertise with NZMEBook Your AdPrivacy Policy
Terms of UseCompetition Terms & ConditionsSubscriptions Terms & Conditions
© Copyright 2022 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP