No sign of survivors 5 days after China plane crash

ISTANBUL

 After five days of intense search operations, no survivor has been found from the crash of a Chinese airplane with 132 people on board.

“Rescue efforts are still ongoing, although no survivors have been found so far,” said Zhu Tao, the head of the aviation safety office of China’s Civil Aviation Administration.

The plane, a Boeing 737-800 with 123 passengers and nine crew members, was flying on Monday from Kunming to Guangzhou, China when it crashed in a mountainous area near the eastern city of Wuzhou.

“At present, search and rescue work is still the most important work, and the search team is watching camera footage and talking with all witnesses, trying to find further clues,” the official said, according to state-run CGTN news.

The plane crash caused a forest fire which was soon extinguished but rough terrain and rains caused made the search difficult.

Liu Xiaodong, a spokesperson for China Eastern Airlines, said: “Communication was normal until the flight went missing, and the crew members did not send any emergency codes.”

Chinese officials have mobilized over 7,000 people, 200 vehicles, five helicopters, and other equipment for search and rescue operations, Zhu added.

One of the two black boxes from the flight – a flight recorder that could reveal reasons for the crash – has been found, but it is reportedly “badly damaged.”

Aviation officials also said the weather was not hazardous when the plane crashed. The flight had maintained normal communication with the air traffic control unit until its sudden fall.