Five days after the crash of a passenger jet in mountainous southern China, the disaster’s cause remains a mystery while the search for the plane’s second “black box” continued Friday.
Hundreds of people, many in white hazmat suits, combed the impact zone and a much larger debris field along steep slopes, reports AP.
They were searching for a box containing the flight data recorder, along with bits of the wreckage and the belongings and body parts of the 132 on board who perished in the crash.
Persistent rain has frustrated the task and the remote location has required the use of dogs and hand tools, including metal detectors more often seen at airports.
Wallets, identity and bank cards and human remains have been found, along with several large pieces of the wings and fuselage.
The China Eastern Boeing 737-800 left a 20-meter-deep (65-foot) hole when it fell from the sky Monday and workers have been pumping out rainwater to facilitate the search.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said talks were ongoing with China over dispatching an expert to participate in the investigation, as is standard when the planes involved are from American manufacturers.
