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The black box belonging to the crashed Chinese passenger jet carrying 132 people has been found, an aviation official in China said on March 23.

Liu Lusong, a spokesman for China's aviation authority, told reporters the flight recorder was from China Eastern MU5735.

The China Eastern Airlines jet crashed in Guangxi region on Monday, March 21.

The cause of the crash is still a mystery.

Preliminary data showed the plane plunged substantially before pulling up, only to nosedive again before hitting the ground.

The Chinese aviation authorities have warned that their investigation would be very difficult because of the severe damage to the aircraft.

As the race to search for victims and black boxes was ongoing, the Chinese aviation regulator launched a sector-wide inspection for potential safety lapses.

The two-week inspection of the sector will involve checks at all regional air traffic control bureaus, airline companies and flight training institutes to ensure the "absolute" safety of aviation operations and people's lives, the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) said late on March 22.

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