ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his deep grief over loss of lives in a passenger plane crash in China and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families.
On his Twitter handle, the prime minister posted, “Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives in the passenger plane crash in China. We share the grief of our Chinese brothers and sisters and convey our deepest condolences and sympathies with the bereaved families.”
According to Chinese media, a Boeing 737 passenger jetliner with 132 people on board crashed into a mountainous area in southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday.
The crashed plane, belonging to China Eastern Airlines, was flying from the southwestern city of Kunming to south China’s Guangzhou City when it lost contact over the city of Wuzhou, dropping thousands of metres in under three minutes.
There was no immediate confirmation of the number of casualties, but the disaster prompted an unusually swift public reaction from President Xi Jinping, who said he was “shocked” and ordered an immediate investigation into its cause.
The airline “expresses its deep condolences for the passengers and crew members who died in the plane crash,” it said in a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Hundreds of firefighters were dispatched to the scene in Teng county near the city of Wuzhou, state media reported, as nearby villagers rushed to help the rescue effort.
China Eastern is one of China’s three major air carriers, operating scores of domestic and international routes serving 248 destinations. The airline changed its website to black and white only on Monday afternoon, and opened an emergency assistance phone number. The safety record of the country’s airline industry has been among the best in the world over the past decade.
The twin-engine, single-aisle Boeing 737 is one of the world’s most popular planes for short and medium-haul flights. The 737 Max version was grounded worldwide after two fatal crashes.
