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Search and rescue workers are recovering debris from the mud at the crash site
Photo: Lu Boan/AP
Five days after the mysterious crash of a Chinese airliner with 132 people on board, it is clear: all occupants are dead. "All 123 passengers and nine crew members of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 died on March 21," the Chinese broadcaster reported CCTV on Saturday citing Civil Aviation Authority Deputy Director-General Hu Zhenjiang.
Guangxi Fire Department chief Zheng Xi said 114 passengers and 6 crew members had been accurately matched, according to the Beijing Aviation Administration.
No traces of explosives were found under debris during laboratory tests.
Rescue work continued at the crash site in a hilly area near the southern Chinese city of Wuzhou.
However, the data flight recorder has not yet been found, only the voice recorder.
It was damaged but relatively complete.
Investigators hope the black box will provide technical information and other important data on the cause of the Boeing 737-800 crash.
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State media report: plane crashed in China with 132 people on board
Experts described the crash as very unusual.
The machine of the Chinese airline China Eastern Airlines suddenly went into a steep dive from a height of more than 8,000 meters on Monday, caught itself briefly, but then fell further and hit almost headfirst in the forest area.
Small pieces of debris were widely scattered around the crash site.
According to the authorities, several attempts had been made to contact the machine.
But the crew did not answer.
The signal from the MU5735 then disappeared around three minutes after the start of the dive.
Airplane crashes are rare in China.
The safety precautions are strict.
Most recently, in August 2010, a Henan Airlines plane crashed in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
kik/AFP/Reuters
