A Plane Just Crashed In China With 132 People On Board & It's Not Clear How It Happened

A China Eastern Airlines plane carrying 132 people crashed in the mountains of southern China on Monday, officials have said.

The domestic flight was due to fly from the Chinese city of Kunming to Guangzhou, near Hong Kong, but the plane crashed in the mountains of Guangxi before it could reach its destination.

There is currently no word on the number of casualties or the cause of the crash, reports NBC News.

However, according to Reuters, there are no signs of survivors given the extent of the damage. Of the 132 people on board, 123 were passengers and nine were crew members.

The flight reportedly descended at a rate of 31,000 feet per minute, and CCTV footage allegedly capturing the moments before the crash showed that it fell nearly vertically into the mountains.

The crash then sparked a wildfire in the mountains, burning down bamboo and trees before finally being put out.

According to a Chinese state broadcaster, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered an immediate rescue effort, while airlines also dispatched members of the aviation administration to the scene.

The flight departed at 1:11 p.m. local time and was due to arrive in Guangzhou at 3:05 p.m. According to flight data, the crash occurred just after 2:20 p.m.

China Eastern Airlines confirmed that the Boeing 737 lost contact over the city of Wuzhou and started rapidly descending around an hour into the flight.

The airline has reportedly launched an emergency hotline for relatives of those who were on board during the incident.

Boeing has also launched an investigation into what happened, including into the plane that has been in service since 2015, reported ABC News.

In a statement, Boeing said, "We are aware of the initial media reports and are working to gather more information."

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.