China crash survivor hopes fade

Rescue workers drag wreckage from the sea

DALIAN, China -- Authorities say there's virtually no hope of finding survivors after a Chinese airliner plunged into the sea near the northeastern city of Dalian, with 112 people on board.

China Northern Airlines Flight 6136 crashed Tuesday around 9:40 p.m (1340 GMT) about 20 kilometers east of the resort city of Dalian in Liaoning province, shortly after the captain reported a fire in the cabin, according to state news agency, Xinhua.

A flotilla of more than 30 tugs and warships were searching the murky waters of Dalian Bay for survivors on Wednesday, and emergency crews say they have recovered 60 bodies so far, along with parts of the plane.

There was no indication that anyone survived; among the debris found on the water, Xinhua said, was a charred foodservice pushcart broken in half, indicating just how hot the plane was.

AUDIO CNN Beijing Bureau Chief Jamie FlorCruz with the latest news on the crash 420 KB / 1 min WAV sound   MORE STORIES • RECOVERY: Chinese leaders take charge    RESOURCES Chronology: Major air disasters in Asia    RESOURCES • Boeing MD-80  • KEY FACTS: China Northern Airlines

Darkness hindered early rescue efforts. Dalian's two biggest hospitals were on standby in the busy port city, 280 miles east of Beijing, but had received no survivors or bodies.

The plane, an MD-82 that is one of several MD-80 models, was approaching Dalian's airport from Beijing.

Airline officials told Xinhua there were 103 passengers plus a crew of nine on board. Eight non-Chinese were among the passengers -- from Japan, South Korea and other countries yet to be identified.

'It disintegrated'

An emergency services officer at the airport, who said he had just returned from the crash site, said the plane had broken into pieces, which were floating on the water.

"It disintegrated," the officer told The Associated Press, refusing to give his name or other details.

The aircraft made several circles before suddenly plunging into the sea with its lights out, Xinhua quoted Dalian port worker Liu Jiqing as saying.

Another worker at Dalian port said he was surprised by the noise of the impact.

"Ambulances and police poured in and I knew it was a crash," he told Reuters news agency.

The aircraft took off at 8:37 p.m., and air traffic controllers lost contact with the flight at 9:32 p.m., eight minutes before its scheduled landing, Xinhua said.

Xinhua said most of those aboard were residents of Dalian, which faces the sea on three sides.

The accident came at the end of China's week-long labor day holiday, a time when millions of Chinese travel within the country, suggesting many of those on board were returning home for business Wednesday morning, Associated Press reported.

DNA testing

This China Northern Airlines Boeing MD-82 twin-engine airliner, shown in a 1997 photo, is the same model of plane that crashed off the coast of China on Tuesday.

Police have begun DNA testing to identify victims.

According to Boeing spokesman Tom Ryan, the plane was delivered by McDonald-Douglas in July 1991. It had 26,000 hours and was operated for China Northern Airlines by Swan Air.

The Boeing MD-80 model, a quiet, fuel-efficient twinjet, was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in August 1980 and entered airline service in October the same year.

Thirty-five MD-80 airplanes were assembled and are operating in China.

The plane was one of 24 such aircraft in what China Northern says is an 82-plane fleet.

Probe

A relative of a plane-crash victim sits shell-shocked after seeing the victim's name-list on arrival at Dailian Airport

The government has sent an investigative team to Dalian -- an indication of how seriously it takes the crash. China's airline industry, plagued by a rash of accidents in the 1990s, has spent millions on new jetliners, pilot training and upgraded services to improve its reputation.

After hundreds of crash deaths in the 1990s, China's airlines reported not a single fatality last year.

But, in what has been a blow to the country's safety record, this is the second accident in one month involving a Chinese passenger jet.

On April 15, Air China Flight CA129 from Beijing slammed into a forest-covered mountain in heavy rain and fog while preparing to land at Kimhae Airport near Busan, South Korea's second-largest city. South Korean officials have suggested pilot error was to blame.

China Northern is due to be merged with Xinjiang Airlines into a large group under China Southern Airlines as part of a sweeping consolidation of the industry.