MU5735 investigation to continue as airline workers encouraged to increase risk vigilance

The Aviation Authority's Accident Investigation Department is in the middle of an in-depth investigation of wreckage from the China Eastern Airline plane that crashed in March. Investigators are also examining flight data, and conducting experimental verification and other related undertakings to discover the cause of the crash, Dong Zhiyi, deputy head of China's Civil Aviation Administration said in Beijing on Friday.

The administration initiated the investigation after the crash and released a preliminary report on April 20, Dong told the news conference. Further results will be released accordingly as the investigation proceeds.

Flight MU5735 was bound from Kunming in Yunnan province, to Guangzhou in Guangdong province, on March 21 when it crashed in a mountainous region in Wuzhou in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region. All 132 people on board were killed.

The accident ended a national safety flight record of 11 years on the Chinese mainland.

China's civil aviation industry has since carried out safety inspections. It has also launched a "whistleblower" campaign, calling on airline workers to be more vigilant about uncovering safety hazards and to report their findings as early as possible to prevent further accidents.