The people of China have been left reeling after news broke that a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed in a forested hillside with 132 people on board.
The plane had been flying from Kunming in the southern Yunnan province to Guangzhou before crashing into the mountains of southern Guangxi and catching fire, BBC News explains.
More than 600 emergency responders descended on the crash site, and rescue teams are trying to remain optimistic as they search for any survivors across the heavily forested slopes.
Burnt remains of identity cards, purses and wallets were left behind following the crash, while parts of the Boeing 737-800 jet were strewn across mountain slopes Reuters reports.
Flight data suggests that the plane lost height rapidly from its cruising altitude before crashing to the ground.
The Boeing 737-800 crash is the first involving a commercial aircraft in China since 2010, when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on its way to Yichun airport, killing 44 of 96 people on board, Al Jazeera adds.
Meanwhile, closer to home, a British Airways (BA) flight had trouble landing in Cape Town on Saturday, 19 March, after experiencing technical difficulties.
In a statement, BA cited a “landing gear warning indication” and said: “We confirm that following a landing gear warning indication on BA6324 on final approach from Gqeberha [PLZ] to Cape Town International Airport [CPT], the pilot performed standard safety checks, and once the correct reading was achieved a normal landing was carried out.”
This comes after the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) reinstated the Air Operator Certificate (AOC) of Comair, which operates British Airways, following a five day suspension.
The audit of Comair by SACAA follows a series of occurrences that posed “safety risks” by kulula.com and BA Comair airlines.
This saw many stranded passengers across the country scrambling to rebook flights on other airlines. But since then, Kulula has confirmed that it will be offering refunds to irate customers after the airline promised to keep passengers informed via social media.
“Our Contact Centre is dealing with higher-than-usual volumes. We apologise for the communication delays. If you have sent an email, you will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and need not follow up. Our team is working around the clock to resolve your enquiry within 20 days,” Kulula said.
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VIDEO: Chinese airline carrying 132 passengers crashes in Guangxi Hills
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