Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders on Monday paid a silent tribute to mourn the deaths of the 132 victims of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash on March 21.

The moment of silence, proposed by Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, was observed at the start of a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. 

The Boeing 737 aircraft (flight MU5735) crashed into a mountainous area in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The plane, which departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, was bound for Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province. 

All 132 people on board died, according to the national emergency response headquarters for the accident. An investigation to find the cause of the crash is ongoing. 

(With input from Xinhua) 

(Cover: Wreckage of the China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 aircraft is seen in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, March 22, 2022. /CFP)