Editorial | Safety demands that cause of air tragedy is swiftly established
- The loss of 132 lives when an Eastern Airlines plane crashed into a mountain in southern China calls for a thorough investigation
The aviation industry has become so safe that any crash immediately attracts global attention. China’s has been especially so for more than a decade, so the slamming of an Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 into a mountain in the southern Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region with the loss of all 132 people on board has generated sorrow at home and around the world.
Speculation abounds given the manner in which it plunged to Earth, but nothing is to be gained from guesswork. What matters is a swift and thorough investigation to find the cause that can bring about changes to prevent another such disaster.
In keeping with the nation’s high air safety standards, the airline has indefinitely grounded its more than 100 737-800s and the Civil Aviation Administration of China has implemented a two-week nationwide inspection of all parts of the industry.
02:22
Black box from crashed China Eastern Airlines flight found
