Air disaster in China.
A China Eastern Boeing 737 crashed in the southern province of Guanxi.
On board the aircraft, Chinese official media said, there were 132 people, including nine crew members: among them no foreigners.
According to the latest news, all passengers and crew members are reported to have died.
The plane, which departed from Kunming and headed for Guangzhou, had an "accident" in the Guangxi region of southern China, crashing into a forested mountainous area in Teng County and causing a vast fire. On social media in Mandarin, images of the flames taken from afar have been disseminated. An investigation will ascertain the causes of the tragedy, they could be attributable to a failure or to a voluntary act of the pilot.
What is certain is that flight MU-5735 was at an altitude of 8,869 meters and at a speed of 845 km / h after taking off from Kunming Changshui airport at 13:15. The plane suddenly lost altitude at 2:19 pm, while the radar signal disappeared at 2:21 pm.
President Xi Jinping said he was "shocked" by the incident and called for "all possible efforts to organize search and rescue, manage the consequences properly, strengthen investigations into potential security risks in civil aviation".
Sergio Mattarella's condolences also reached Xi Jinping: "I learned with great sadness the news of the crash in the Guangxi mountains of China Eastern flight 5735. While the rescue is underway, I wish to extend to you, Mr. President, and to the friend of the Chinese people the most heartfelt condolences of the Italian Republic and the expressions of sincere and sympathetic condolences of all Italians and my personal ".
(Unioneonline / L)