Xi orders all-out rescue efforts after plane crash

BEIJING, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts after a passenger plane with 132 people aboard crashed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Monday afternoon.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in his instruction that he was shocked to learn about the incident involving China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735.

He ordered the immediate launch of an emergency response, all-out search and rescue efforts and the proper settlement of the aftermath.

Xi ordered swift action to be taken to identify the cause of the crash and to strengthen the safety overhaul of the civil aviation sector to ensure the absolute safety of the sector and people's lives.

Premier Li Keqiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, urged efforts to console the families of the victims and provide them with assistance, release accurate information in a timely manner, conduct a serious probe into the incident, and take strong measures to strengthen the safety of civil aviation.

Work teams have been dispatched to the scene by relevant departments. Rescue forces from Guangxi and neighboring Guangdong Province have been mobilized.