The shocking images showing the crater left by the China Eastern plane when it crashed

China's state media released drone footage on Wednesday showing where the ibChina Eastern Airlines passenger plane crashed into a mountainside on Monday with 132 people on board.

The video released by CGTN shows a depression in the soft ground caused by the impact of the accident, with the surrounding area charred by fire. The place, a spot of about a square kilometer, is located in a place surrounded by mountains on three sides, said state television.

Flight MU5735 was heading from the southwestern city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, in Guangdong province, bordering Hong Kong, when the Boeing 737-800 suddenly rushed from cruising altitude at about the time it would normally begin to descend before landing.

The rains in the area on Wednesday interrupted the search for the victims and the second black box of flight information (one was already found), and there was a risk of landslides that could endanger lifeguards who were tracking the difficult and heavily forested terrain, the state television.

The cause of the accident in the mountains of the Guangxi region has yet to be determined, and the aviation authorities warned that its investigation would be very difficult due to the serious damage suffered by the aircraft.

Forty-eight hours after the accident, rescue work continues in the steep area where the aircraft rushed.

The incident caused a forest fire in the area, difficult for rescue teams to access due to its rugged terrain and remote location.

(With information from Reuters)

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