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Watch: Final moments of China plane caught on camera just before crash

Watch: Final moments of China plane caught on camera just before crash

Plane carrying 132 people crashes

As teams are being rushed to the site where a China Eastern Airlines plane crashed in China's Guangxi region, several videos have emerged on social media showing the final minutes of the plane crash.

According to officials, the passenger jet carrying 132 people crashed onto a mountainside shortly after losing contact with air traffic control.

It is being said that the plane dropped thousands of metres in just three minutes. The flight-tracking ended at 2.22 pm at an altitude of 3,225 feet.

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The footage showed thick black fumes of smoke billowing out of the mountain soon after the plane raced vertically towards the ground in the moments before the crash.

According to reports, the plane crashed in Teng county near Wuzhou and caused a mountain fire. Rescue workers have found no signs of any survivors.

A villager was quoted by AFP as saying that the plane had "completely fallen apart" and he had seen nearby forest areas destroyed by a fire.

President Xi Jinping said that he was 'shocked' by the incident and immediately ordered an investigation into the cause.

"We are shocked to learn of the China Eastern MU5735 accident," state broadcaster CCTV reported Xi saying, while he also called for "all efforts" towards the rescue and to find out the "cause of the accident as soon as possible".

The plane, flight number MU5735 from Kunming to Guangzhou, is believed to be aBoeing 737-89P, which is not part of the MAX series that has reported numerous technical faults in recent years.

(With inputs from agencies)