No survivors found after plane nosedives into mountainside in China

22 March 2022, 06:02 | Updated: 22 March 2022, 08:31

No survivors were found in the aftermath of the China Eastern crash
No survivors were found in the aftermath of the China Eastern crash. Picture: Alamy/Social media

By Will Taylor

No survivors have been found after a plane carrying 132 people crashed into a mountainside in China.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Hundreds of rescuers deployed to the area near Wuzhou, in the south of the country, after the China Eastern Boeing 737-800 plummeted out of the sky.

Footage showed it apparently in a nosedive before crashing, which caused a massive fire to break out in a forested area that could be seen from Nasa satellites.

Chinese state media said on Tuesday morning: "Wreckage of the plane was found at the scene, but up until now, none of those aboard the plane with whom contact was lost have been found."

Read more: 50 Ukrainian orphans due to fly to UK stranded in Poland after paperwork blunder

Read more: Boris 'desperate' to go to Kyiv as he has an 'emotional connection' with Ukrainian people

All 109 of the 737-800s in China Eastern's fleet have been grounded.

The flight, which was travelling from Kunming, in the southern province Yunnan, east to Guangzhou, carried 123 passengers and nine crew members, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China [CAAC].

Local police were called by villagers about the crash at about 2.30pm [6.30am GMT], about 15 minutes after the plane lost contact.

Footage from China shows crash site of jet

It had been travelling at about 30,000ft when it suddenly entered a deep dive at about 6.20am GMT.

Horrific footage shows the plane in a rapid nosedive to the ground, disappearing behind a treeline before it crashes.

Sally Gethin, an aviation expert, told The Sun it is too early to speculate but suggested the sudden dive could have come from a tail malfunction.

"If the tail sheared off before the nosedive, the plane would lose all aerodynamics - it can't operate properly without the rudder in the tail. Nothing can be ruled out at this stage," she said.

Data also suggests the aircraft's altitude steadied briefly before plummeting to the ground, suggesting to Ms Gethin there was a "10 to 20-second spell where one or more of the pilots regained consciousness and tried to save the plane".

She believed all on board would have been unconscious during the dive before the crash. She went on to stress the 737-800 has a good safety record.

Chinese president Xi Jinping said there should be an "all-out effort" rescue operation and called for an investigation into the crash.

Shanghai-based China Eastern, one of China's biggest airlines, has set up nine teams to work on issues like investigating the accident and helping loved ones of the passengers.

Boeing, the aerospace giant based in Chicago, said it was "working to gather more information".

The last fatal crash of a civilian airliner in China was in 2010, when a jet crashed coming in to Yichun airport during low visibility. A total of 44 of the 96 on board died.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Mohamed Mansour has been awarded a knighthood

Conservatives accused of 'cronyism' after donor who gave £5 million given knighthood in surprise honours list

Exclusive
Justin Welby recalled his experience of coping with his father's drinking as a teenager.

‘It was utterly isolating’: Archbishop of Canterbury recalls harrowing experience of growing up with his alcoholic father

More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday.

Easter Carmageddon: Over two million drivers to hit the road on Good Friday after Storm Nelson travel chaos

Michael Gove has slammed the water firm as a 'disgrace'.

Thames Water bosses branded a ‘disgrace’ as Michael Gove tells firm ‘not to punish consumers’ for its failings

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

A council has had to apologise following the incident.

Fury as parents offered version of school class photo without complex needs pupils

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus falls from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing at least 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert

Exclusive
Starmer has vowed to resurrect Boris Johnson's 'Levelling Up' policy

Failure to ‘level up’ Britain would be ‘catastrophic’, Wes Streeting admits, as Starmer vows to resurrect Johnson policy

Border Force staff will walk out from April 11

Hundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow Airport to stage four-day strike

Stephen Bear was ordered to pay Ms Harrison £5,000.

Disgraced reality TV star Stephen Bear ordered to pay £27,000 over revenge porn conviction or face nine months in jail