Terrain, rain hampering search at site of China plane crash

By DAKE KANG and NG HAN GUAN
Associated Press

WUZHOU, China (AP) — Rough terrain and rainfall are hampering the search for clues into why a China Eastern plane inexplicably fell from the sky and crashed into a wooded mountainside, presumably killing all 132 people on board. Searchers using hand tools and sniffer dogs were combing the large debris field for the black boxes containing the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, a well as any human remains. Investigators say it is too early to speculate on the cause of the crash. The plane went into an unexplained dive midflight and stopped transmitting data 96 seconds into the fall. An aviation safety official says an air-traffic controller tried to contact the pilots after seeing the sharp altitude drop, but got no reply.