More bodies found from Taiwan jet crash

Rescue workers continue to recover the remains of victims

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Officials in Taiwan investigating last weekend's crash of a China Airlines jumbo jet say they have recovered more bodies from the doomed aircraft and possibly located the plane's nose section.

With improving weather Saturday six search ships have begun operations in the crash area to recover the aircraft's flight data and voice recorders, believed to be about 67 meters (220 feet) under water.

Until now choppy seas and poor visibility have delayed search and recovery operations in the large area of the Taiwan Straits where the plane came down.

China Airlines flight CI611 broke up in midair shortly after take-off from Taipei killing all 225 passengers and crew on board.

So far only 101 bodies and less than one percent of the aircraft's fuselage have been recovered leaving investigators still puzzled over the cause of the crash.

Several theories have emerged but officials say evidence so far does not confirm any of them.

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The crew reported no problems before the crash, indicating that whatever happened to the aircraft happened quickly and without warning.

Crash theories

One theory is that structural problems or a sudden cabin depressurization caused the break up of jetliner, which the airliner planned to retire from its fleet next month.

Another theory is that the plane's cargo or fuel tanks exploded, causing it to break up.

Air traffic control radar showed that one chunk of the jet shot backward at a high speed, as if propelled by a blast. The other three parts kept going forward.

U.S. experts who investigated the mid-air explosion of a Trans World Airlines Boeing 747 in 1996 have joined the investigation to help find out why the Hong Kong-bound aircraft broke up at an altitude of 30,000 feet and plunged into the ocean.

The slow pace of the investigation and recovery of bodies has caused anger among families of the victims, many of whom have hit out at the government over China Airlines' poor safety record.

Last week's crash was China Airlines' fourth fatal accident since 1994.

On Friday it was announced that the chairman and seven board members of the agency that controls the airline had offered to resign.

Tsay Jaw-yang, 61, chairman of the nominally private China Aviation Development Foundation which owns 71 percent of the airline, verbally tendered his resignation late on Thursday, Chuang Suo-han, a cabinet spokesman, told reporters.

Seven of the other eight board members had offered to step down, the spokesman said, adding that the cabinet was expected to approve their resignations.