Pope Francis offered condolences via telegram to Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday following the crash of China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 in China’s Guanxi province on Monday.
Pope Francis prayed for the missing passengers and for the mourners. The flight had 132 passengers, of which the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration said no survivors have been found. National Catholic Register reports:
The telegram sent on the Pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said: “Upon hearing the sad news of the tragic air accident in the province of Guangxi and the loss of human lives, His Holiness Pope Francis sends his heartfelt condolences to you and your fellow citizens.”
“He prays for those who are missing and for the consolation of those who mourn. His Holiness invokes upon each one the Divine Blessing.”
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The New York Times reports that the crash is the worst air accident in China in over a decade. The fateful flight was covering a short distance in southern China. Locals reported hearing a loud sound and seeing smoke, which was a result of the fire the accident caused.
Austin Ramzy and Niraj Chokshi reports in The New York Times:
More than 48 hours later, emergency crews had found no survivors among the 132 people who were on board, officials said. The chances of finding anyone alive appeared slim. “It was in fragments scattered all around,” Li Chenbin, a technician in the area told the China News Service. “I didn’t see anyone who lived through it.”
Ramzy and Chokshi continue:
The plane plummeted more than 20,000 feet in about a minute.
Flight MU5735 took off shortly after 1 p.m. on Monday and the first hour of its journey proceeded as normal, Zhu Tao, the director of aviation safety at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said late Tuesday. The plane was cruising at about 29,000 feet around 2:17 p.m., but a few minutes later air traffic controllers noticed the aircraft had suddenly lost altitude.
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