Rescuers were still making all-out efforts to find the bulk debris
of the crashed China Northern Airline's MD-82 aircraft and its
black box flight recorder Thursday, two days after it plunged into
sea with 112 people aboard off northeast China's Liaoning Province.
In
an interview with Xinhua, a rescue officer predicted difficulty in
the search, as the wreckage might have sunk to the sea bottom along
with the bodies of missing victims.
But members of the search team were motivated by the radio signal
received from the black box at a place about 600 meters (656.4
yards) north of Dalian Harbor at 11:00 am Thursday.
The black box is able to automatically send signals at the
frequency of 37.5 kilohertz within 30 days after the crash of the
plane.
By
press time, over 40 ships, equipped with state-of-the-art sonar
equipment and GPS positioning systems, were still working in a
three-square-kilometer area around the site of the crash.
Over 50 divers from the Chinese naval force and the Yantai Salvage
Bureau were also helping to locate the data recorder, and will be
sent down to pick up the device once the exact spot is
determined.
The sea surface, which was covered with debris after the crash, has
been cleared, thanks to the sustained search and rescue efforts
since Tuesday night.
(Xinhua News
Agency May 10, 2002)