RESCUERS SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS IN CHINA PLANE CRASH

Rescuers continue to search for survivors from a plane crash in southern China, as families of those onboard gather at a nearby airport waiting anxiously for updates.

China Eastern Flight MU5735 was carrying 132 people when it crashed into hills in Guangxi province but the number of casualties is not known, and there are fears of no survivors.

The tragedy has sparked widespread grief in China even as President Xi Jinping ordered a full-scale investigation.

Local media reported that responders dispatched to the crash site in Wuzhou, had found parts of the wreckage and were still searching through debris scattered over mountainous, rugged terrain, which included the charred remains of bags, wallets and identity cards.

Meanwhile, Authorities are yet to identify passengers and crew members, but among them was a group of six people, including a teenager, who were travelling to Guangzhou to attend a funeral.