They found the second 'black box' at the scene of the China Eastern plane crash

The second “black box” of an eastern Chinese Boeing 737-800 was found on Sunday, raising hopes that it could shed light on why the passenger plane plummeted in a remote mountainous area in southern China last week, killing all 132 people on board.

Firefighters who participated in the search found the flight data recorder on a mountainside about 40 meters (130 feet) from the point of impact and 1.5 meters (5 feet) underground, state media said. Experts confirmed that it was the second black box. The impact of the shock created a 20-meter-deep pit on the mountainside and dispersed the debris widely.

Finders had been looking for the data box after they found the voice recorder in the cockpit four days ago. The two black boxes should help researchers determine what caused the plane to plummet from 8,800 meters approximately one hour after the flight and shortly before it had started to descend.

The remote environment and the rainy and muddy conditions have complicated the search for black boxes and wreckage. Images released by CGTN, the international arm of CCTV, showed an official holding an orange cylindrical object on the site with the words “FLIGHT RECORDER” and “DO NOT OPEN” written on it. It looked slightly dented but intact.

The search stopped on Sunday afternoon for a minute of three-minute silence by the 123 passengers and 9 crew members. Emergency workers took off their helmets and the police and soldiers took off their caps. Standing in groups in formation, they bowed their heads as the sirens sounded.

Flight MU5735 crashed on Monday en route from the southeastern Chinese city of Kunming to Guangzhou, a major export manufacturing city and hub near Hong Kong. An air traffic controller tried to contact the pilots several times after seeing the plane's altitude drop sharply, but got no response, authorities said.

The cockpit voice recorder, also an orange cylinder, was found two days later, on Wednesday. It has been sent to a laboratory in Beijing for examination and analysis, and the flight data recorder was also being sent to the Chinese capital for decoding.

Search teams have been combing the site outside Wuzhou City for days with shovels and other hand tools. Construction excavators have been brought to remove soil and clear wider aisles to the site, and pumps are being used to drain water collected from the rain. Authorities said monitors have been installed to detect possible landslides due to rain and search activity that could endanger workers.

Authorities announced on Saturday night that there were no survivors. DNA analysis has confirmed the identities of 120 of the people on board, they said. Search engines have found identity documents and bank cards belonging to the victims.

Boeing Co. said in a statement that a Boeing technical team is supporting the US National Transportation Safety Board and the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration, which will lead the investigation into the accident.

China Eastern, one of China's four major airlines, and its subsidiaries have grounded all their Boeing 737-800s, a total of 223 aircraft. The airline said grounding was a precaution, not a sign of any problems with airplanes.

(with information from AP)

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