Beijing(PTI): One of the two black boxes of the China Eastern Airlines plane that crashed on Monday has been found, rescuers said on Wednesday.
The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft, which departed from Kunming and was bound for Guangzhou on Monday, crashed into a mountainous area near Molang Village in Tengxian County in the city of Wuzhou, in the worst air disaster in over a decade in the country.
A black box of the China Eastern Airlines passenger plane has been recovered, rescuers at the site told state-run Xinhua news agency.
The crashed airliner had two black boxes, one in the cockpit and one in the tail to record various data, according to the official media here.
The search for the black boxes is one of the key tasks required by the investigation team.
Aircraft black boxes are generally in bright orange-red so they can be found quickly after a flight accident. They are built to withstand explosions, disintegration, high temperature combustion, immersion in water and other damage, and the battery lasts for about 30 days.
Because the crash site is in a forested mountainous area, searchers are relying on drones and manpower, which will bring certain difficulties.
No survivors have been found so far among the 123 passengers and nine crew members in the plane crash, Sun Shiying, chairman of China Eastern Airlines Yunnan branch, said on Tuesday night.
The cause of the crash cannot be confirmed immediately and the investigation into the cause is difficult, said Zhu Tao, an official with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said on Tuesday.
At present, the investigation team is carrying out a full probe in accordance with the procedures, with rescuers exploring the crash site and going all out to search the black boxes, Zhu had said.
The team is also thoroughly investigating other aspects, including flight, maintenance, air traffic control, meteorology, aircraft design and manufacturing, Zhu said.
Based on known information, the authorities do not yet have a clear clue to the cause of the passenger plane crash, the official said.
The last domestic fatal incident was in 2010, when a plane crashed in Yichun, Heilongjiang province, killing 42 people.
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Raipur (PTI): Amid reports of shortage of commercial LPG cylinder in several parts of the country due to the US-Israel-Iran conflict, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Tuesday assured people that they need not worry about the availability of cooking gas in the state.
He asserted that adequate stock of LPG as well as petrol and diesel was available in the state.
Sai said in a statement that authorities have been directed to regularly monitor stock at gas agencies and keep a close watch on the supply chain. Necessary instructions were issued to officials in all districts to ensure a smooth supply of LPG.
The chief minister instructed officials to take strict action if any complaint of black marketing or hoarding of LPG cylinders is received.
Sai urged state residents not to pay attention to rumours and to book cooking gas cylinders as per their actual requirement.
The government was fully alert to ensure the availability of essential commodities to citizens, he emphasised.
Meanwhile, the Chhattisgarh Hotel and Restaurant Association has issued an advisory to hotels, restaurants, caterers and other food businesses across the state, urging them to maintain calm and avoid panic buying.
In the advisory, Taranjeet Singh Hora, president of the association, asked members to maintain coordination and immediately inform it about any major disruption in LPG supply.
He cautioned businesses against hoarding cylinders, saying such practices could worsen the situation for the entire hospitality sector.
The association advised hotels and restaurants to prioritise essential kitchen operations, core menu items and already committed banquet events.
Use electric cooking equipment wherever possible for emergency and staff kitchens such as induction cooktops, electric hot plates, electric rice cookers and kettles, the advisory stated.
