▲ China Eastern Airlines MU5735 airliner flying from Kunming, southern Yunnan province to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, crashed in a mountainous area near Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at 1:15 pm (local time) on the 21st, local time. Photo: The wreckage of the plane found at the scene of the accident. China Central Television (CCTV) capture
▲ China Eastern Airlines MU5735 airliner flying from Kunming, southern Yunnan province to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, crashed in a mountainous area near Teng County, Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region at 1:15 pm (local time) on the 21st, local time.
A China Eastern Airlines domestic flight with 132 people on board crashed into a mountain in southern China on the followingnoon of the 21st (local time), and no survivors have been heard.
About 2,000 rescue workers are deployed to search for a black box that may have clues to the cause of the accident together with the survivors, but the search is difficult due to the narrow access road and the rain the day before the accident.
In the midst of this, the Daily Mail, a British daily newspaper, quoted a local rescue worker on the 22nd and said, “It seems that not only the aircraft but also the bodies of the passengers were burned in the fire that occurred when the plane crashed.”
In fact, the rescue team continued to work on the scene of the accident for more than two days and checked wallets, IDs, and the remains of some passengers, but none of the occupants’ bodies were found.
China’s National First Aid Command, in charge of handling the accident, held its first press conference on the night of the 22nd and explained the cause of the accident and the status of rescue operations.
“The investigation into the accident is very difficult,” said Zhu Tao, head of the Civil Aviation Administration’s aviation safety office, at a press conference.
He added, “The plane’s altitude began to drop sharply from 2:20 pm on the 21st, and there was no response to communication.
Wu Ling, a political member of the Wuzhou Fire and Rescue Team, who participated in the rescue, said in an interview with state-run Central TV (CCTV) that day, “We participated in the search for survivors and debris, but our team might not find any survivors.” They found relatively large wings, etc.”
The Chinese government has yet to announce the number of casualties, but speculation that all occupants may have died is growing.
Experts agree that the accident is very unusual. In fact, the video, which is known to have captured the time of the accident, shows a passenger plane crashing into a mountain while vertically falling 8,000 m in 2 minutes.
According to the Associated Press, the Boeing 737-800, the plane of the accident, has been in service with airlines around the world since 1998, and more than 5,100 units have been sold. This aircraft is known to have a lower fatal accident rate compared to other types of aircraft.
Former NTSB investigator Benjamin Berman said it was “too early to draw conclusions regarding the cause of the crash.” It can only be explained if there was an unusual mechanical malfunction,” he said.
Eastern Airlines and Boeing, the manufacturer, are also investigating the cause of the accident, while Eastern Airlines has suspended all flights of the same type of passenger plane as of yesterday (22nd).
Eastern Airlines released data showing the altitude and speed of the plane during its descent at the time of the accident on its website, and at the same time, changed the entire website to black and white to honor the victims.
Reporter Song Hyeon-seo huimin0217@seoul.co.kr
