The head of the Civil Aviation Administration of China Office of Aviation Safety announced the rescue effort in Monday’s plane crash “has yet to find survivors.” Tuesday’s announcement came more than 30 hours after the crash happened.
“The plane was severely damaged in the accident, and the investigation is very challenging,” Aviation Safety Director Zhu Thao said. “In the next steps, the investigation group will make an all-out effort to collect evidence and the focus will be on the search for the flight recorder on site.”
Thao added Tuesday that “because the investigation has just begun, we are unable to make a clear judgement about the cause of the accident with the information available.”
Potential plane crash survivors include 123 passengers and nine crew members on board China Eastern flight 5735 when it fell from the sky and burst into a huge fireball before crashing into a Chinese mountain. On Tuesday, the chair of China Eastern’s Yunnan Branch said there did not appear to be an issue with the plane, a Boeing 737-800, or the crew operating it.
“The plane’s age was 6.8 years. It satisfied the requirements to fly before take-off, and its technical condition was stable,” Sun Shiying said, adding “the crew members were in good health.”
“We are deeply distressed, and we have been unable to rest or eat in peace,” Sun said. “At every moment, we are thinking deeply about the passengers and comrades onboard.”
That sentiment was shared by some who were traveling at Kunming Changshui Airport Tuesday, the airport where flight 5735 departed. Traveler Liu Guizu said she hopes “the 132 people on the China Eastern flight can get home safely,” and that the crash is not affecting her confidence air travel.
“Planes are the safest way to travel among all means of transportation, relatively speaking,” Guizu said Tuesday. “So many of my relatives encouraged me to cancel my flight tonight. They all tried to persuade me to get a refund and take a high-speed train instead, but I have great confidence in the attendants and the flight captain, so I’m going to get on this flight with a calm heart.”
