DPA
Cambodian officials said on Wednesday that they had recovered the black box flight recorder from a passenger plane that crashed into rugged jungle minutes before it was scheduled to land at coastal resort area, killing all 22 people on board.
Kampot deputy police chief In Chiva said Cambodian government aviation officials had made the journey to the crash site to retrieve the box personally and were now on their way back to the capital to analyse the contents for clues as to the cause of the tragedy.
"It is not my job to comment on rumours about what happened. We hope that when they can hear what is in the tape, they can reach conclusions," Chiva said.
Earlier on Wednesday rescuers finally found the wreckage of the plane and almost immediately confirmed there were no survivors and began recovering bodies, police said.
The bodies of 10 of 22 victims were brought to a Cambodian hospital morgue, with the rest expected to be transferred by nightfall, a government official said Wednesday afternoon.
Ministry of Transport official Hor Sarun said the bodies were being transferred quickly from the site of the crash via military helicopter in preparation for them being claimed by their families.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, experts familiar with the scene said it appeared the plane was off course, possibly due to a storm, and the pilot may not have double checked his coordinates before commencing descent.
The plane crashed just minutes before it was scheduled to land in Sihanoukville.
"It looks like he may have been in the wrong place and didn't check before beginning his descent," one aviation official said.
Bad weather has officially been blamed for the crash of the 30-year-old aircraft in preliminary government statements.
In addition, the small local charter company running the route, PMT Air, has a chequered safety history, earning a warning from the Civil Aviation Secretariat last year for failing to report a mid-flight engine failure.
Questions are likely to be asked about air safety for domestic flights in Cambodia as investigations into the crash are continuing.
Bad weather also hampered the search by more than 1 000 soldiers, with visibility in the thickly jungled mountainous area at times put at just 40 metres.
Family members of many of the South Korean victims were expected to arrive Wednesday to collect the remains. The names of the victims have not been released.
Kampot deputy police chief In Chiva said Cambodian government aviation officials had made the journey to the crash site to retrieve the box personally and were now on their way back to the capital to analyse the contents for clues as to the cause of the tragedy.
"It is not my job to comment on rumours about what happened. We hope that when they can hear what is in the tape, they can reach conclusions," Chiva said.
Earlier on Wednesday rescuers finally found the wreckage of the plane and almost immediately confirmed there were no survivors and began recovering bodies, police said.
The bodies of 10 of 22 victims were brought to a Cambodian hospital morgue, with the rest expected to be transferred by nightfall, a government official said Wednesday afternoon.
Ministry of Transport official Hor Sarun said the bodies were being transferred quickly from the site of the crash via military helicopter in preparation for them being claimed by their families.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, experts familiar with the scene said it appeared the plane was off course, possibly due to a storm, and the pilot may not have double checked his coordinates before commencing descent.
The plane crashed just minutes before it was scheduled to land in Sihanoukville.
"It looks like he may have been in the wrong place and didn't check before beginning his descent," one aviation official said.
Bad weather has officially been blamed for the crash of the 30-year-old aircraft in preliminary government statements.
In addition, the small local charter company running the route, PMT Air, has a chequered safety history, earning a warning from the Civil Aviation Secretariat last year for failing to report a mid-flight engine failure.
Questions are likely to be asked about air safety for domestic flights in Cambodia as investigations into the crash are continuing.
Bad weather also hampered the search by more than 1 000 soldiers, with visibility in the thickly jungled mountainous area at times put at just 40 metres.
Family members of many of the South Korean victims were expected to arrive Wednesday to collect the remains. The names of the victims have not been released.
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