In Southern China on March 21 a plane headed from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed into a mountainous region in the province of Guangxi after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane around 2: 15 pm. This flight had taken off from Kunming at 1:05 pm and was scheduled to arrive at Baiyun International Airport at 3:05 pm. The plane, operated by China East Airlines, was a Boeing 737-800; a plane that until recently was considered one of the safest planes ever flown, having been in active service since 1998. 

  The 737-800 is the predecessor to the 737 Max, which had two international plane crashes in 2018 and 2019 resulting in 346 deaths and being grounded worldwide.

  Videos and photos released mere hours after the attack show the plane rapidly descending during which the plane fell 7,400 feet, briefly regained altitude for about 1,200 feet, and then nose dived into the ground. In response firefighters, and investigators have been sent to the site which is now China’s worst, and only fatal, aviation disaster in ten years. The Boeing 737-800 has been grounded domestically for an indefinite amount of time, and as Boeing is one of the country’s three largest air carriers, serious interruption to air travel can be anticipated.

  Early search efforts indicate there are no survivors among the 123 passengers and nine crew members.

  Boeing has expressed its deepest condolences for those killed and affected by the crash.