All passengers aboard the plane that crashed in the Chinese province of Guangxi this week are confirmed to be dead, aviation officials told Chinese state media Saturday.
The confirmed death toll of 132 ends a dayslong rescue effort that commenced on Monday in search of the 123 passengers and nine crew members, marking the country’s deadliest plane crash since 1994.
“We have analyzed surveillance video footages, air traffic control data, and the pattern of the debris at the crash site. We can be certain that there are no survivors,” said Hu Zhenjiang, the deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, at a news conference Saturday. “With a heavy heart and deep sadness, we are here to announce that the 123 passengers and nine crew members on board China Eastern Flight MU5735 have all lost their life.”
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Those attending the news conference observed a moment of silence for the deceased passengers.
The plane was operated by China Eastern Airlines and was reportedly a Boeing 737-800. The aircraft was heading to the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong province when air controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou around 2:21 p.m. local time.
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The plane then began its descent, plunging 25,000 feet in a three-minute period before colliding with a local mountain, according to Flightradar24. Rescue teams arrived at the scene Monday to extinguish fires and search for any survivors.
Crews will continue searching the area for the victims’ bodies and their belongings to return to their families, and they will also gather evidence for their investigation to determine the cause of the crash.
