Photo: Zhou Hua/Xinhua via Getty Images
No one is reported to have survived after aChina Eastern Airlinesflight tragically crashed in the mountains of southern China on Monday, according to multiple outlets.
The Boeing 737-800 had 132 people aboard, including 123 passengers and nine crew members. On Tuesday,The New York TimesandCNNreported that no survivors have been found, citing Chinese state media.
The cause of the crash remains unclear, and investigators have not yet located the essential black boxes, which contain flight data and cockpit voice recorders, per theAssociated Press. An investigation is ongoing.
On Monday afternoon, the plane was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou when it lost contact around 2:15 p.m. and crashed in the city of Wuzhou around 2:30 p.m., the Civil Aviation Administration of China announced in astatement.
China Eastern Airlines plane crash site.STR/AFP via Getty Images
Videos shared online of the accident show the crash causing a mountain fire. The CAAC said it “activated the emergency mechanism” and sent a rescue team to the scene. Nearly 1,000 firefighters and 100 other emergency personnel were dispatched to the “heavily wooded” area, theTimesreported.
Rescuers have found wallets and IDs amid the wreckage after searching through the thicket, following what CNN described as China’s “worst air disaster in more than a decade.”
China Eastern Airlines plane crash site.Xinhua via Getty Images
In a statement shared with PEOPLE in the wake of the tragedy, Boeing shared its condolences for the victims of the crash and said it would cooperate with the investigation.
China Eastern Airlines didn’t immediately return PEOPLE’s request for comment, but echoed similar sentiments in a statement shared Monday night, per theoutlet.
“The cause of the plane crash is still under investigation, and the company will actively cooperate with relevant investigations,” China Eastern Airlines said. “The company expresses its deep condolences to the passengers and crew members who died in the plane crash.”
The carrier has since made the homepage of its website black and white as a sign of mourning.
source: people.com
