The jet involved in the accident was a Boeing 737 aircraft and the number of casualties was not immediately known, state broadcaster CCTV said. Rescue was on its way, it added.

There was no word on the cause of the crash of the plane, a 6-year-old 737-800 aircraft, according to Flightradar24.

The CAAC said the aircraft lost contact over the city of Wuzhou. It had 123 passengers and nine crew on board. State media said reported there were 133 people on board.

China Eastern Airlines Boeing jet with 132 people on board crashes in China

A China Eastern Airlines aircraft with 132 people on board crashed into the mountains in south China on Monday (March 21) while on a flight from the city of Kunming to Guangzhou, China's Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said.