Search crews spent the last 24 hours looking for survivors in the recent Chinese plane crash, to no avail.
Officials reported they have found no survivors in the wreckage of the Chinese airliner that crashed in the Guangxi province as of Tuesday morning. The plane in question carried 123 passengers and nine staff members.
“Wreckage of the plane was found at the scene, but as of now, none of those aboard the plane with whom contact was lost have been found,” state broadcast CCTV reported on Tuesday.
The plane has been identified as one operated by China Eastern Airlines and was reportedly a Boeing 737-800. The plane had been traveling from Kunming to Guangzhou on Monday when it began its descent, according to Flightradar24, plunging 25,000 feet in a three-minute period before colliding with a local mountain.
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“The cause of the plane crash is still under investigation, and the company will actively cooperate with relevant investigations,” China Eastern Airlines said in a statement Monday night. “The company expresses its deep condolences to the passengers and crew members who died in the plane crash.”
China’s State Council is overseeing an investigation of the crash, according to state media. Chinese President Xi Jinping said he was “shocked” by the news of the incident and ordered an “all-out search and rescue mission.”
The families of those who died were moved to Teng County, where the local government offered temporary housing by requisitioning hotels, according to state media.
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Rescue personnel searched the crash site on Monday, with assistance from local villagers due to the inaccessibility of the crash area, according to the China News Service. Farmers came across shards of wreckage and began to put out the fires started by the crash. First responders have begun to set up and prepare to handle the fires and search efforts, according to state media. However, the plane’s black box has not been located as of Tuesday.
If all plane passengers are confirmed dead, this could be China’s deadliest flight since 1994, according to the Washington Post.
