BEIJING – All 132 people aboard the Boeing 737-800 that crashed in southern China on Monday have died, Chinese public television CCTV announced on Saturday.
“The 123 passengers and nine crew members of the China Eastern flight MU5735 died on board on March 21“Deputy Director General of the Civil Aviation Administration Hu Zhenjiang told a news conference.
“One hundred and twenty victims could be identified thanks to their DNA,” added Hu Zhenjiang.
Drones, rescue teams and thermal cameras were mobilized in China at the accident site near the city of Wuzhu in Guangxi province, and dozens of relatives of the victims were waiting for the result of this investigation.
Hopes were slim as the plane had fallen violently, before catching fire on impact.
The violence of the crash had thrown parts of the plane and objects belonging to the passengers over a wide area.
A first black box, which recorded the conversations in the cabin, was found on Wednesday and sent to Beijing for analysis.
Rescue teams are looking for the second one, which contains flight data such as speed, altitude and heading.
With these elements, investigators should be able to determine the causes of the plane crash, which fell several thousand meters in a few minutes despite mild weather.
