No survivors have been found after a Boeing 737 plane crashed during a domestic flight from Kunming to Guangzhou on 21 March, the country's authorities have confirmed.
"So far, no survivors have been found," Tao Zhu, the chairman of the Civil Aviation Administration, told reporters.
The search and rescue operation is continuing, the official said, adding that the plane's black box has not yet been found either. According to Tao, the investigation into the cause of the crash is very difficult due to the severe damage of the crashed aircraft.
Earlier, Chinese President Xi ordered an investigation into what could have caused the country's worst aircraft accident in decades.
Hours after the search and rescue operation began, local media reported that no survivors had been found in the wreckage of Flight MU-5735. The plane reportedly descended the 20,000 feet to the ground in just over a minute and crashed in a forested mountainous area near the city of Wuzhou in the Guangxi region.