Aviation authorities disclosed that the Boeing 737 flight from Kunming city to the southern hub of Guangzhou “lost airborne contact over Wuzhou” city in the Guangxi region.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said in an online announcement that: “at present, it has been confirmed that this flight has crashed,”

The plane was carrying 123 passengers and 9 flight crew members, the CAAC said.

An earlier state media report had said there were 133 people on board.

State broadcaster CCTV reported that the plane crashed in Teng county near Wuzhou and “caused a mountain fire”, citing the provincial emergency management bureau.