Rain interrupts search for survivors after plane crash in China

The rain on Wednesday interrupted the search for possible survivors and for the black boxes of the Boeing 737-800 that crashed on Monday in China with 132 people on board, in an accident as yet unexplained.

China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 disintegrated on Monday on a forested slope of Wuzhou (south) as it flew from Kunming (southwest) to Guangzhou (south).

Hundreds of firefighters, soldiers, doctors and volunteers were mobilized to search for traces of passengers, their belongings as well as the black boxes, which have not yet been located.

A civil aviation official (CAAC) said on Tuesday that no survivors had been found so far. The plane crashed almost vertically before it caught fire, so hopes are slim.

The search was suspended on Wednesday due to heavy rains, which left the accident site full of mud and difficult for rescuers to access.

“Small landslides are possible,” said a reporter for state-owned CCTV, who said he could still smell “kerosene” on the spot.

The possible confirmation of the deaths of all 123 passengers and nine crew members would make it the worst plane crash since 1994 in China, where air safety is considered very good by experts.

According to the Autonomous Community, all the people on board were of Chinese nationality. In the absence of a black box, the reasons for the tragedy remain unknown.

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