As of Tuesday morning, no bodies or survivors had been recovered from the China Eastern Airlines crash, according to Chinese state media.
China's aviation authority reported that a domestic flight carrying 132 people on a Boeing 737-800 nosedived Monday afternoon in Guangxi's southern region.
At 1:11 p.m., flight MU5735 took off from Kunming. According to FlightRadar24, the plane took off at 11:11 a.m. local time (1:11 a.m. ET) and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, in the country's southeast, in less than two hours.
The plane was travelling at 29,100 feet when it began a sharp descent at 2:20 p.m., temporarily recovering more than 1,000 feet before resuming the plunge before losing contact. It plummeted more than 25,000 feet in less than two minutes.
"This kind of tragedy is extremely unusual," Richard Aboulafia, a managing director at AeroDynamic Advisory, said of the plane's sudden, sharp drop from its cruising altitude.
China's Civil Aviation Administration said it sent a team to the Guangxi region. Debris was found but not passengers, state media reported early Tuesday, local time.
The cause of the crash is yet unknown, and there have been no confirmed fatalities.
Investigators will try to recover "black boxes," which contain cockpit voice recordings and flight data. They'll probably look at the plane's previous trips, maintenance history, weather data, and pilot health as well.
President Xi Jinping of China has ordered an investigation and rescue teams to the crash site in a rural, hilly area.
According to official media, the missing passengers on board the plane have yet to be found at the crash site, with just plane debris discovered thus far. According to reports, the crash started a mountain fire, which has since been put out.
Because the plane was made in the U.S., the U.S. The National Transportation Safety Board announced the appointment of an investigator for the crash. It was unclear whether the probe will take place in China.
Boeing, based in Chicago, said in a statement that it is in contact with the U.S. Transportation Safety Board and that its technical team is "prepared to assist with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China."
The Federal Aviation Administration stated that it was aware of the crash and will assist in the investigation "if asked."
China Eastern Airlines has announced that it is sending personnel to the crash site and has established a hotline for family members.
