Workers remove wreckage at a plane crash site in Tengxian county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, March 25, 2022. (XINHUA)
All 132 people on board the China Eastern Airlines jet that crashed on Monday in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region are dead, a senior official of the Civil Aviation Administration of China said on Saturday night.
Despite intensive search and rescue operations since Monday, there has been no sign of life at the crash site, Hu Zhenjiang, deputy head of the CAAC, said at a news conference held in Wuzhou.
We have analyzed surveillance video footages, air traffic control data and the pattern of the debris at the crash site. We can be certain that there is no survivor of the crash.
Hu Zhenjiang, deputy head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China
“We have analyzed surveillance video footages, air traffic control data and the pattern of the debris at the crash site. We can be certain that there is no survivor of the crash,” he said.
“With a heavy heart and deep sadness, we are here to announce that the 123 passengers and nine crew members on board China Eastern Flight MU5735 have all lost their life.”
After the announcement, people attending the news conference observed a minute’s silence to mourn for the dead.
Hu said the search and rescue teams will continue to look for the victims, their remains, belongings and debris of the aircraft to show respect to life and be responsible to the victims’ relatives. Also, the findings at the crash site are key for the tragedy’s investigations.
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China Eastern flight MU5735 left Kunming, the capital of Yunnan province, at 1:11 pm Monday with 123 passengers and nine crew members. It was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, at 3:05 pm. Air traffic controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou in Guangxi Zhuang at 2:21 pm.
Rescuers conduct search and rescue work at a plane crash site in Tengxian county, South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, March 25, 2022. (XINHUA)
Earlier on Saturday, head of the search and rescue team said the identity of 120 people, including 114 passengers and six crew members, has been confirmed by the public security department.
Local civil affairs department have arranged funeral service assistance. All the remains and belongings of the victims have been properly stored, an official said
Local civil affairs department have arranged funeral service assistance. All the remains and belongings of the victims have been properly stored, said Zheng Xi, head of the Fire and Rescue Brigade of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.
Zhu Tao, head of the aviation safety office of the CAAC, said as of Saturday noon, 493 family members for 80 passengers have arrived in Wuzhou, Guangxi.
Zhu said each family will have tailored assistance such as psychological counseling. Their requests and claims will be handled timely.
A total of 747 mental evaluations and 1,182 counseling sessions have been provided to families members, he said.
According to Liu Xiaodong, head of the China Eastern Airlines' publicity department, the airliner managed to contact families from all passengers on board in 24 hours.
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He said it is difficult to fulfill all requirements from each family in a short term, but many practical problems have been solved thanks to the quick response and cooperation from government departments from different regions and social assistance.
He also noted that the airline company has established a team to offer reassurance to families of missing crew members on board, and also help the family to solve practical problems.
Luo Wangshu contributed to this report.