(212) 680-4911

A Boeing 737 crashed in southeast china early Monday afternoon local time.

China’s civil aviation authority said Monday that a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 passenger plane had crashed with 132 people on board. That number includes 123 passengers and nine crew members.

Contact was lost with the flight over Wuzhou, in the Guangxi region, the authority said. It was scheduled to fly from Kunming to Guangzhou.

Boeing 737 Crash

The flight — believed to be the MU5735 — left Kunming at 1:11 p.m. local time (1:11 a.m. ET) and was due to arrive at its destination in less than two hours per website FlightRadar24. The flight-tracking website shows that the Boeing 737-89P plane began to descend sharply after 2:20 p.m. local time.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked” to learn of the incident, according to state media CCTV. He instructed China Eastern to organize search and rescue efforts and begin an investigation into the cause of the crash.

Boeing 737 Crash

China’s Civil Aviation Administration said it “activated the emergency mechanism and dispatched a working group to the scene.” Local reports say a mountain fire was caused by the crash.

The full number of dead and injured is currently unknown.

The September 11 Foundation will update its newsfeed as important information occurs around the world related to accidents, disasters, and major weather events.