- Xi, other leaders hold moment of silence for air crash victims (Read more)

- DNA matching completed for all air crash victims: Official (Read more)

Moment of silence observed at meeting; DNA matching has been completed

President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders observed a moment of silence on Monday to mourn the victims of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash.

Assistance with issues such as accommodation, traffic, pandemic control and psychological counseling have been provided for all 110 families of passengers on China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735 after the plane crashed on Monday, Shangguan Xuemin, a manager from the airline, has said.

Shangguan, manager of the airlines' client committee, told a news conference on Wednesday that family members of all 123 passengers have been contacted, adding that the relatives are receiving support of various kinds from more than 300 staff.

The jet carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members left Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, at 1:11 pm on Monday, bound for Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province. Air traffic controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Aircraft wreckage and human remains from a recently crashed passenger jet were found by a rescue team according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China on Wednesday.

As of 7 pm on Wednesday, the rescue team has canvased an area of 46,000 square meters. What has been found has been passed to the investigation team, said Zheng Xi, head of the fire and rescue department of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, at a news conference on Wednesday night.

One of two "black box" flight recorders was found on Wednesday afternoon and was later identified as the Cockpit Voice Recorder, said Zhu Tao, head of aviation safety for CAAC. The China Eastern Airlines passenger jet carrying 132 people crashed into a mountain in Guangxi on Monday, and no survivors have yet been found.

NANNING - The exterior of the black box from the crashed China Eastern Airlines passenger plane recovered on Wednesday was severely damaged, and it was initially believed as the cockpit voice recorder, Zhu Tao, head of the aviation safety office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), told a press briefing Wednesday night.

NANNING - Some human remains and parts of the wreckage of the China Eastern Airlines passenger plane that crashed into a mountain in Guangxi on Monday have been recovered at the crash site, an official told a press briefing on Wednesday.

The wreckage and human remains have been handed over to the investigation team, said Zheng Xi, head of the fire brigade of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, adding that rescuers from the brigade had covered a search area of 46,000 square meters by 7 pm Wednesday.

The three pilots onboard the recently crashed China Eastern Airlines passenger jet were in good health and qualified for the flight, Sun Shiying, chairman of the airline's Yunnan branch, said on Wednesday.

He said a news conference the flight licenses and health certificates of the three pilots were all within the validity period when they flew China Eastern MU5735 carrying 123 passengers from Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Monday.

"The captain of the flight became captain for the Boeing 737 in January 2018. He has a total flight experience of 6,709 hours," Sun said, adding the flying hours of the first co-pilot was 31,769 and the second co-pilot had 556.

The weather was normal and there were no hazardous weather conditions when the plane crashed, an official said at a news briefing Wednesday.

One of two "black box" flight recorders for the recently crashed China Eastern Airlines passenger jet was found on Wednesday, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The jet had two flight recorders, both products of United States company Honeywell. One device records flight data, such as height, speed and direction, and the other records voices in the cockpit, Mao Yanfeng, director of the civil aviation accident investigation center, said at a news conference on Wednesday. Both recorders are orange and easy to discover.

However, the investigation team was unable to identify which recorder was found at this stage because its exterior was seriously damaged.

Heavy rain on Wednesday has forced the suspension of the large-scale search and rescue operations in a remote mountainous area in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region for the survivors and black boxes of a China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed on Monday.

Flight MU5735 left Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, at 1:11 pm on Monday with 132 people on board, and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, at 3:05 pm. Air traffic controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou, Guangxi, at 2:21 pm.

NANNING -- Rescuers are making all-out efforts to retrieve the black boxes of a passenger plane with 132 people aboard that crashed in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Monday afternoon, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China said Tuesday night.

The plane was severely damaged and the investigation is very difficult, Zhu Tao, head of CAAC aviation safety office, told a press briefing.

Chinese insurers are stepping up efforts to offer quick support following the crash on Monday of a China Eastern Airlines plane with 132 people aboard. They have begun verifying information on insured passengers and preparing compensation payments.

The nearly 7-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet, which was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members, was traveling from Kunming, Yunnan province, to Guangzhou, Guangdong province, on Monday afternoon when it crashed in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

Rescuers are still working around the clock in the mountainous area of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region where a passenger plane with 132 people aboard crashed, local officials said on Tuesday night.

A total of 538 rescue workers with 119 fire trucks from Guangxi rushed to the site of the crash immediately after the accident happened on Monday afternoon, with lighting equipment, tents and epidemic prevention materials.

The Civil Aviation industry started a two-week safety inspection on Tuesday after a jet carrying 132 people crashed on Monday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China said.

The inspection aims to discover and eliminate safety hazards to ensure the sector's operational safety.

While continuing to look for survivors after a China Eastern Airlines flight crashed in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday, over 2,000 search and rescue workers on Tuesday have intensified efforts to recover the black box of the aircraft to investigate the cause of the tragedy.

Flight MU5735 left Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, at 1:11 pm and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, Guangdong province at 3:05 pm. Air traffic controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou, Guangxi. The flight was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members.

Chinese insurers are stepping up efforts to offer support to their covered victims of the air crash on Monday.

The Civil Aviation Administration of China confirmed yesterday a Boeing 737 passenger plane with 132 aboard crashed in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

NANNING -- Rescue work continued on Tuesday after a passenger plane with 132 people aboard crashed in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Monday afternoon.

Over 2,000 people have been sent to the site as part of the rescue efforts.

Some personal belongings of the passengers on a China Eastern Airlines flight that crashed in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday were discovered by a search and rescue team.

Flight MU5735 left Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, at 1:11 pm and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, at 3:05 pm. Air traffic controllers lost track of the plane over Wuzhou, Guangxi. The flight was carrying 123 passengers and nine crew members.

Boeing China said it is working with its airline customers and is ready to support them after a nearly 7-year-old Boeing B737-800 passenger jet of China Eastern Airlines, with 132 people on board, crashed in the mountains of southern China on Monday.

"Our thoughts are with the passengers and crew members of China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735. Boeing is in contact with the US National Transportation Safety Board, and our technical experts are prepared to assist with the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China," Boeing China said in a statement on Tuesday.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his condolences to the victims and the Chinese government, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN chief.

And the International Civil Aviation Organization also said it is saddened by the tragic loss and expresses its deepest condolences to all affected.

Vice-Premier Liu He and State Councilor Wang Yong have led relevant officials to guide rescue work, the settlement of the aftermath and investigation into the cause of the crash in Wuzhou.

Boeing Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said in a letter on Monday that the planemaker has offered the full support of its technical experts to the investigation led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

"We are deeply saddened by the news of the accident involving a China Eastern Airlines 737-800 airplane. The thoughts of all of us at Boeing are with the passengers and crew members on Flight MU 5735, as well as their families and loved ones," Calhoun added.

The crash of an airliner on Monday ended China's civil aviation safety record of more than 4,000 days.

A China Eastern Airlines aircraft carrying 132 people crashed in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Debris was found at the site where a China Eastern Airlines aircraft carrying 132 people crashed in Southern China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region on Monday afternoon, the regional emergency management department said.

Flight MU5735 left Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, at 1:11 pm and was scheduled to arrive in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province at 3:05 pm.

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered all-out search and rescue efforts after a passenger plane with 132 people aboard crashed in South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region Monday afternoon.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, said in his instruction that he was shocked to learn about the incident involving China Eastern Airlines flight MU5735.

China Eastern Airlines has changed its website color to black and white in mourning for the victims.

Civil Aviation Administration of China confirmed on Monday that a Boeing 737 passenger plane with 132 aboard crashed in China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.