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A memorial event was held on Sunday, March 27 at the crash site of the China Eastern Airlines plane to mourn the deaths of the 132 people killed in the accident.

China on Sunday holds an event to mourn the victims of the China Eastern Airlines plane crash that killed all 132 people on board. During the event, a three-minute silence tribute was observed. #MU5735 pic.twitter.com/kxczVrjcRq

— People's Daily, China (@PDChina) March 27, 2022

At about 2pm, the sound of horns blared throughout the remote hillside area near Wuzhou in Teng County, Guangxi province six days after the aviation disaster -- the worst on record in China since 1994.

Three minutes of silence was observed as all staff members of the national emergency response headquarters for the accident and rescuers at the site stood solemnly, Xinhua reported.

More than 5,000 people have joined the search-and-rescue efforts, Bloomberg reported.

Drones and other equipment were also used in the operation.

China Eastern Airlines has started the work of settling claims, said Liu Xiaodong, head of the airline's publicity department, at a press conference on Sunday, as reported by Xinhua.

Second black box found

Officials also said on Sunday they have found the second black box -- the flight data recorder -- of the crashed plane, Global Times reported.

The second black box of the China Eastern Airlines' plane that crashed Monday in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was recovered Sunday https://t.co/V6lvobbKY2 pic.twitter.com/V5lMWV9fWP

— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) March 27, 2022

The device was found at about 9.20am buried under 1.5m of soil, CCTV reported.

Data from both black boxes is being decoded and are expected to provide more clues to explain what caused the tragic crash.

The news is believed to provide some relief and comfort for grieving relatives and friends.

Personal belongings of victims together with human remains have been found.

Background

On March 21, the Boeing 737 aircraft departed from Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, and was bound for Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province.

Flight MU5735 departed from Kunming Changshui International Airport at 1:15pm and was scheduled to arrive at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport around 3pm.

But at around 2:20pm, the twin-engine jetliner suddenly dropped from a cruising altitude of 29,000 feet (8,840m) to 4,400 feet (1,340m) before its radar signal disappeared.

The plane crashed in Tengxian County.

Top photos via People's Daily

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