By Aritra Banerjee
In what is being described as the most significant civil aviation disaster in China in over a decade, a Boeing 737 carrying 132 people crashed shortly after 12:08 PM on Monday. The plane crashed near a village in Teng county, near the city of Wuzhou in Guangxi; This marks yet another fatal air crash from Boeing’s inventory in recent years.
The Boeing 737 belonging to China Eastern Airlines, Flight number MU5735, carried 123 passengers and nine crew members. Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered an all-out rescue effort; however, Reports indicate no survivors.
India’s aviation watchdog Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) has enhanced its surveillance of the Boeing 737 fleet. “Flight safety is serious business. We are closely studying the situation, and in the interim, we are mounting enhanced surveillance on our 737 fleet,” DGCA Chief Arun Kumar told the media.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to express his grief over the development: “Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the crash of the passenger flight MU5735 with 132 onboard in China’s Guangxi. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of the crash and their family members.”
Boeing has witnessed multiple air crashes in recent years and the company has been the subject of a recent investigative documentary on Netflix ‘Downfall: The Case Against Boeing’ which called into question the aviation giant’s commitment to safety.
Boeing did not respond to a request for comment about the ongoing development at the time of publication. Responses if received will be incorporated as a rejoinder.
