Debris of ill-fated plane found at crash site in Guangxi
Pieces of wreckage of the passenger plane that crashed in Tengxian County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on March 22.
The wreckage of a Boeing 737 aircraft, carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, that crashed in southern Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Monday afternoon, has been found while the search for the jet's black box is continuing.
The flight MU5735, operated by China Eastern Airlines, was en route to Guangzhou, southern Guangdong Province, from Kunming, southwestern Yunnan Province, when it crashed.
The wreckage was found in a mountain forest of Molang Village, Langnan Town, on Monday night, but there is no news about the people on board the flight. Local rescue workers, however, have discovered what seem to be some pieces of clothing.
The families of passengers and crew have arrived at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, the destination of the crashed plane. A make-shift reception area has been set up to accommodate the grief-stricken families.
"We've been married for just five months. She's only 22 years old," Wen, husband of a passenger, told Jimu News. The couple, both Yunnan locals, planned to start their new life in Guangzhou. Having no contact with his wife, Wen said he was planning to drive to the crash scene from Guangzhou.
Belongings of the passengers on the ill-fated flight.
Rong, husband of an air hostess on the plane, is waiting for updates at the China Eastern Airlines office. "She called me at 9am that she's going to fly," he told Xiaoxiang Morning Post. "She said she'll be back soon." His wife, 34, has been flying for 10 years.
A passenger, who changed her flight after being booked on MU5735, arrived in Guangzhou earlier on Monday, but she has six friends and family members on the crashed plane, including her sister. They planned to attend a funeral in Guangzhou on March 23.
Those six people -- a 10-year-old boy, four women and a man, aged between 30 and 40 years -- are still missing.
The search and rescue operation at the crash scene is still under way, with more than 1,000 firemen, police, emergency and medical staff working through the night.
On Tuesday morning, the team found wallets, identification cards, bank cards and some other personal items supposedly belonging to those on board the ill-fated flight.
Traces of burning in the forest, as well as some aircraft debris, can be seen on the hillside of the crash area in Molang Village. The mountainous geography with poor signal, linked by just one narrow path to the site, has posed great difficulty in search and rescue work.
Tents have been set up as the rescue headquarters. A UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) mobile base station has been launched, which can ensure a flight at an altitude of more than 200 meters with 24-hour stay in the air to provide good signal.
