China Plane Crash – Rescue Operation Halted By Rain

Search and rescue operations have been suspended at the crash site of a Chinese passenger plane after heavy rain sparked fears of a landslide.

State media Xinhua said soil at the crash site had absorbed a lot of water, adding “uncertainty” to the rescue.

No survivors have so far been found from China Eastern flight MU5735 which had 132 passengers when it crashed in the hills in southern China and Investigators don’t know why the plane plummeted out of the sky on Monday.

There has been an outpouring of grief in China, where families of passengers and crew are still waiting for news.

Hundreds of responders have been scouring the steeply forested slopes in Wuzhou where debris from the plane was strewn after it broke apart and set fire to the hillside.

There had been no official word on casualties until China’s Civil Aviation Administration held its news briefing on Tuesday evening, some 36 hours after the disaster.

Air controllers had repeatedly called the aircraft during its descent but had received no response.

Rescuers have so far found parts of the 737’s burnt wreckage. State broadcasters showed images of the charred remains of letters, bags, wallets and identity cards belonging to those on board.

Plane debris is seen at the site where a China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 plane flying from Kunming to Guangzhou crashed, in Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China March 21, 2022.

Meanwhile, the families and friends of the 123 passengers and nine crew have gathered at each end of the flight – with relatives visiting China Eastern’s offices in Yunnan province and waiting at Guangzhou International Airport.