Rescuers find no survivors after China Eastern Airlines plane carrying 132 crashes

Kieran Galpin

The team is also searching for the plane’s black box

Following a plane crash yesterday that saw 132 people plummet into the Chinese mountains, rescuers have been working tirelessly to find survivors.

Nearly 24-hours after Boeing 737-800 dropped 30,000ft in two minutes; rescuers are still combing through the Guangxi province. Sadly, no one has been found alive.

This mornings plane crash out of China. Totally disintegrated. I think you would expect some larger pieces. pic.twitter.com/2nxixI6YPs

— Pro BS Detective (@Rwbone2) March 22, 2022

Search teams are also on the hunt for the plane’s black box, which should provide further details on the nature of the crash. Following the horrific news that was broken by state media, China Eastern Airlines has grounded its entire Boeing 737-800 fleet.

The plane was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, the CAAC said, correcting earlier reports that 133 people had been on board.

President Xi Jinping has also ordered a full investigation into the disaster, and the country’s vice-premier, Shen Jong-chin, is leading the rescue effort.

https://twitter.com/TheInsiderPaper/status/1505824981950816259

Worried family members have flocked to Baiyun Airport in Guangzhou in the hopes of finding loved ones. One man told Reuters that he was hunting for his colleague Mr Tan but was forced to break the news to his family upon learning of Tan’s fate.

“They were sobbing. His mother couldn’t believe this had happened,” he said. “She said she will be here as soon as possible. Because she was very sad, her boy was only 29 years old.”

https://twitter.com/pIuggo/status/1505837687726608384

Due to previous catastrophes, Boeing is in hot water, particularly with China. In 2018 and again in 2019, two Boeing 737 Max jets crashed into Ethiopia and Indonesia. The accidents killed 346 people and led to the entire fleet being grounded for 20 months.

According to the Aviation Safety Network, 737-800s have been involved in 22 hull-loss accidents that resulted in 612 fatalities since their launch.

https://twitter.com/raymong33/status/1505876526830563331

“What we know is that the crash happened during the cruise phase of the flight, which is comparatively rare even though this phase accounts for the majority of flight time,” Oleksandra Molloy, aviation safety expert at the University of New South Wales, told Al Jazeera.