Core site of China Eastern plane crash to be excavated as rescue work continues
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NANNING (XINHUA) - The core site of the recent plane crash in south China will be excavated as all-out efforts are made to continue searching for survivors and the second black box, officials said at a news briefing on Friday (March 25).
Field exploration and shallow surface excavation have been carried out at the core crash site in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, said Mr Zhu Tao, head of the aviation safety office of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Experts are working on an excavation plan for the core site, Mr Zhu said, adding that DNA samples are being taken from relatives of the missing passengers.
The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft carrying 132 people crashed on the afternoon of March 21 in a mountainous area of Guangxi's Tengxian County.
No survivors have been found so far. One black box has already been recovered.
The search and rescue scope has been expanded to nearly 200,000 square metres, and more than 2,200 people have joined the rescue efforts, said Mr Lao Gaojin, the vice- mayor of Wuzhou City that administers Tengxian.
As of 10am on Friday, 531 family members of 92 missing passengers had arrived in Wuzhou.
