In the lonely Chinese mountains, a Boeing 737 carrying 132 people plunged 30,000 feet to the ground before bursting into flames.

Near the city of Wuzhou in Teng county in the southern province of Guangxi, a China Eastern Airlines aeroplane nosedived before smashing into a hillside and erupting in a massive blaze.

According to reports, the plane exploded completely, and a fire started by the collision burned down bamboo and trees before being put out.

On social media, horrifying CCTV footage allegedly shows the jet speeding vertically towards the ground in the seconds leading up to the crash.

President Xi Jinping expressed his sorrow at the occurrence and ordered a probe into the circumstances.

The plane, with the flight number MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou, is thought to be a Boeing 737-89P, not the MAX series, which has been plagued by troubles in recent years.

The aircraft lost touch above Wuzhou, according to China’s Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC).

On board were 123 passengers and nine crew members. Earlier, state media said that 133 individuals were on board.

‘The CAAC has initiated the emergency procedure and dispatched a working group to the scene,’ the CAAC stated in a statement.

The Aviation Safety Network tweeted: ‘We are following multiple unconfirmed reports about a possible accident involving China Eastern Airlines flight #MU5735 a Boeing 737-89P (B-1791) en route from Kunming to Guangzhou, China.’

‘We are following multiple unconfirmed reports about a possible accident involving China Eastern Airlines flight #MU5735 a Boeing 737-89P (B-1791) en route from Kunming to Guangzhou, China.’

President Xi said: ‘We are shocked to learn of the China Eastern MU5735 accident.

China Eastern Airlines’ website was later rendered in black and white, as is customary in the aftermath of a tragedy as a show of respect for the presumed fatalities.

China Eastern Airlines, according to aviation data source OAG, is the world’s sixth-largest airline by scheduled weekly seat capacity and the largest in China.

Despite stringent restrictions on international flights, it has performed well in the home market throughout the coronavirus pandemic, according to OAG.

It is one of China’s top three airlines, servicing 248 locations on a variety of local and international flights.

The plane had been flying for nearly six years when it was delivered to China Eastern from Boeing in June 2015.

The twin-engine, single-aisle Boeing 737 is one of the most popular short- and medium-haul jets in the world.

The 737-800 and the 737 Max are two versions of the common aircraft operated by China Eastern. After two tragic crashes, the 737 Max was grounded all over the world.

Late this year, China’s aviation regulator approved the plane’s return to operation, making it the last major market to do so.

In the last decade, its airline industry has had one of the best safety records in the world.