Decoding the unknowns in the Chinese plane crash

Zheng Xi, head of the Guangxi Provincial Fire and Rescue Department, said 41 of the 66 samples taken from the crashed plane were tested in the laboratory, and the results showed no signs of toxic substances. explode.

At a press conference in Wuzhou City on March 26, Zhou Dao, director of the Aviation Safety Office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), announced that the investigation team had found a black box recording the voice. speaking in the cockpit and an emergency locator transmitter located near the flight data recorder’s location.

Before, Xinhua News Agency reported that the rescue force did not find any survivors at the site where the Boeing 737-800 bearing the number MU5735 of China Eastern Airlines crashed. All 132 people on board were confirmed dead.

Shortly after, the Boeing company offered its condolences to the victims of the crash and said it would continue to assist with the investigation.

Debris from a China Eastern plane crashed in Guangxi. Photo: AP

The scope of search and rescue has expanded over an area of ​​nearly 200,000 m². More than 2,200 people participated in the rescue work. To date, about 24,000 pieces of the plane have been recovered and the bodies of 120 passengers have been identified. DNA samples are being taken from relatives of the missing passenger for comparison.

A Boeing spokesperson said they are working with the CAAC and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the focal point in charge of US efforts to assist in the investigation into the cause of the crash. with the plane number MU5735.

The NTSB said it has appointed a senior investigator as its representative in charge of the investigation. Boeing also confirmed that its technical team is ready to assist the Civil Aviation Administration of China in the investigation process.

However, the NTSB on March 26 declined to comment on reports that an Air China plane flew to Washington to “pick up” NTSB investigators.

Searchers at the scene of the plane crash. Photo: China News

The Boeing 737-800 China Eastern Airlines crashed in the southern region of Guangxi on March 21, while flying from Kunming City to Guangzhou. The plane is scheduled to land at 3:05 p.m. in Guangzhou on the same day. However, at 14:22, the plane lost contact.

FlightRadar24 data shows that the plane plunged almost vertically at an altitude of nearly 9,000 meters, eventually crashing to the ground at a speed of nearly 600 km / h. Rescue officials say the search and rescue process has been difficult.

Many experts say it normally takes about 3 months to analyze and issue an accident report if the black box is in good condition. In the case of MU 5735, because the black box was found to be partially damaged, this process could take longer.

94 psychologists were sent to Guangxi province to help family members of plane crash victims overcome the shock. Family members of passengers in distress can receive compensation of 400,000 yuan (more than 1.4 billion VND) from the airline regardless of whether they have insurance or not.

According to Hue Binh