A black box from the China Eastern Airlines passenger jet that crashed on Monday in southern China has been found, rescuers told official news agency Xinhua on Wednesday.
The recovery and examination of the box will reveal critical information on why the aircraft suddenly lost height and crashed in Guangxi region with 132 people, including nine crew members, on board.
The device is so damaged that investigators were not able to tell whether it is the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder, said Mao Yanfeng, the director of the accident investigation division of the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC).
Rescuers are, now, making all-out efforts to retrieve the remaining black box of the crashed aircraft..
“Aircraft black boxes are generally in bright orange-red so they can be found quickly after a flight accident. They are built to withstand explosions, disintegration, high temperature combustion, immersion in water and other damage, and the battery lasts for about 30 days,” the tabloid Global Times reported.
More than 48 hours after the accident, no survivors have been found.
Heavy rain and risk of landslides in southern China’s Guangxi region on Wednesday hampered the search mission.
“The search and rescue efforts for flight MU5735 were forced to halt on Wednesday due to rain. There is a possibility for small-scale landslides, adding uncertainty to the effort. In addition to the search for passengers and the black box, drainage work is also needed,’’ national broadcaster China Central Television reported.
{{/usCountry}}“The search and rescue efforts for flight MU5735 were forced to halt on Wednesday due to rain. There is a possibility for small-scale landslides, adding uncertainty to the effort. In addition to the search for passengers and the black box, drainage work is also needed,’’ national broadcaster China Central Television reported.
{{/usCountry}}The report further said continuous rains were filling up the depression created by the impact of the crash, making it difficult for emergency workers to work. There is also a risk of landslides in the forested and hilly crash site, making it dangerous for those working in the area.
More than 2000 rescuers and firefighters from Guangxi and neighbouring provinces have been deployed for the search mission, while drones are being used to carry out aerial surveys of the accident site. The drones are equipped with night vision, and can record pictures or videos, even in poor visibility conditions, helping provide reference to emergency workers.
“The site of the crash in a mountain forest complicates the search for the black boxes and we have to rely mainly on drones and rescue staff,” said Zhu Xiaodong, a rescuer with a Guangzhou-based drone rescue centre, told state media.
A second day after the crash, the chance of finding survivors has further dimmed, the CCTV report said. The plane was severely damaged and the investigation is very difficult, Zhu Tao, head of safety at CAAC said. The probe team at the site is investigating several aspects including flight, maintenance, air traffic control, meteorology, aircraft design and manufacturing, Zhu said.
“Based on known information, the authorities do not yet have a clear clue to the cause of the passenger plane crash,” Zhu was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
Two senior Chinese leaders, vice premier Liu He and state councillor Wang Yong, led a team to the plane crash site late Monday to guide the search operation and the investigation into the cause of the accident.
The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft, which departed from Kunming in southwest China and was bound for Guangzhou in south China, maintained an altitude of 8,900m as it entered the Guangzhou air traffic control area at 2:17 pm Monday, but was found to have drastically plunged at 2:20 pm, the CAAC official, Tao said. Sun Shiying, chairperson of the Yunnan branch of China Eastern Airlines, has said the families of all 123 passengers have been contacted.