US investigators head to China to probe plane crash that killed 132 people

A team of US investigators have departed for China to probe the causes of an airliner crash that killed all 132 people on a Boeing 737-800 operated by China Eastern Airlines on March 21, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced on Friday.

"NTSB team has departed for China to participate in CAAC [Civil Aviation Administration of China's] B-737 accident investigation," Sputnik reported citing NTSB's statement.

The US investigators will limit interactions with those outside of investigation similar to the safety protocols at the Beijing Winter Olympic Games earlier this year, the NTSB said. This will allow them to begin work immediately without a quarantine, NTSB further said, according to the Russian News Agency.

A China Eastern Airlines plane with 132 people on board crashed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Flight MU5735, with 132 people aboard, was enroute from the southwestern city of Kunming to Guangzhou on March 21 when it plunged from cruising altitude and crashed.