Chinese plane crash: All 132 people on board the crashed plane dead, officials confirm

Rescue workers at the crash site

Chinese officials have confirmed that all 132 people and crew on board flight MU5735 died when it crashed in southern China on Monday.

The China Eastern flight was flying from Kunming to Guangzhou when it nosedived and crashed in Guangxi’s dense forest.

According to aviation officials, rescue teams have identified 120 of the victims so far through DNA analysis.

According to state media, both black boxes have now been discovered.

On Saturday, the flight data recorder, which could reveal crucial information about why the plane crashed an hour into its journey, was recovered.

According to Reuters, the first black box has already been sent to Beijing for expert inspection. That one is thought to hold the cockpit voice recorder.

Despite the fact that there was little hope of finding survivors, victims’ families have been waiting for word from the search teams, who have been combing the heavily wooded area for days.

However, the search has been difficult in the remote hills near Wuzhou, with rescue teams working in extremely muddy conditions.

According to the Chinese news website Sina, Hu Zhenjiang, deputy director-general of China’s civil aviation administration, the search for the victims’ remains and plane wreckage will continue.

Boeing, the manufacturer of the 737-800 jet, said on Saturday that its technical team is assisting the US National Transportation Safety Board and China’s civil aviation administration with the investigation, according to Reuters.

Following the crash, China’s President Xi Jinping ordered a thorough investigation.

The crash is China’s deadliest aviation incident in nearly three decades, and it has sparked a national outpouring of sympathy.