There is confusion about the second flight recorder from the plane that crashed in southern China on Monday. On Friday, the Chinese aviation authority CAAC announced on WeChat that the black box had been found but removed the message after a few minutes.

Later, state news agency Xinhua reported that the flight recorder had not yet been found.

The first flight recorder of the Boeing 737-800 of China Eastern Airlines was found on Wednesday and is currently being analyzed. The black boxes may provide insight into the cause of the crash, although authorities have said it cannot be ruled out that the first black box was damaged during the crash.

Hundreds of rescue workers are now searching for wreckage from the aircraft at the accident site. One aircraft part, 1.30 meters long and 10 centimetres wide was found almost ten kilometres from the crash site, suggesting that it was already released in the air.