China Eastern Airlines Search Operation Almost Completed: All Passengers Identified, It's Now Focused On Cause Of Accident

Search for victims of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash MU5737 (Source: China Daily)

JAKARTA - Chinese authorities are focused on finding the cause of the crash of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735, as search and rescue operations are nearing completion, according to a senior civil aviation safety official.

"The two flight recorders, or black boxes, of the plane, were found within seven days of the crash, and the identification of all passengers was confirmed within eight days. Currently, the main search and rescue operation is almost complete," Zhu Tao, head of the Civil Aviation Administration's safety office, said. China's aviation, said at a press conference held in Wuzhou Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, reported China Daily, March 31.

China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735 left the southwestern city of Kunming at 13:11p.m. local time on March 21, carrying 123 passengers and nine crew. Air traffic controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou at 2:21 p.m. Everyone on board was confirmed dead on Saturday.

Zhu said rescue teams found more than 49,000 pieces of the plane's wreckage, including critical parts of its engines and wings, on Wednesday. They are being disinfected, categorized, and labeled for investigation, which is the main task from now on, he added.

"We will conduct an objective and scientific investigation," Zhu said.

"We will not miss a single point to get to the bottom of the cause of the accident, and restore the truth to prevent similar accidents from happening again," he said.

While waiting for the black box data to be read, the investigation team has also conducted a preliminary investigation at the crash site. In addition, the team has also analyzed the flight data recorded by the air traffic control system to recover the MU5735's flight process, Zhu said.

"Information about the plane and its cargo as well as the passengers on board and their belongings have also been checked," Zhu said.

He added, according to the international civil aviation agreement, the initial report on the accident would be completed within 30 days after the accident. After all, investigations are completed, the full report will be published.