BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping called for “all-out” efforts to organise search and rescue for passengers on the Eastern Airlines jet crash on Monday, state television reported.

Expressing “shock” at hearing the news of the crash, Xi instructed officials to the launch an emergency response immediately and to investigate the cause of the crash as soon as possible,according to state television CCTV.

Plane carrying 132 crashes in China, casualties unknown

China’s Premier Li Keqiang also instructed officials to spare no effort in searching for survivors and to provide sufficient comfort to the victims’ families, according to CCTV.