NANNING, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Pieces of engine wreckage of the passenger plane that crashed in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region earlier this week have been found, an official told a press briefing on Thursday.
The recovered black box of the crashed plane of China Eastern Airlines with 132 people aboard was sent to a decoding laboratory in Beijing Wednesday night and the data downloading and analysis work is underway, according to an aviation official at the press briefing.
Rescuers have been braving the rain to clear landslide debris and waterlogging while continuing the search and rescue work at the site.
In the core area of the accident site, excavators and other equipment are busy working.
China Eastern Airlines and its subsidiaries have temporarily grounded 223 Boeing 737-800 aircraft.
All grounded aircraft are undergoing checks and maintenance according to the highest safety standard.
It has been raining continuously since Wednesday evening at the crash site of the China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 aircraft in a mountainous area of Tengxian County, Guangxi.
By 11 a.m. Thursday, rescuers had cleared landslide debris, but the rain-soaked soil continued to make travel on foot difficult. They have laid bamboo frames on the ground to facilitate the rescue work.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
