Rescuers continue to search in the heavily forested mountains of China's southern Guangxi region for survivors of the China Eastern Airlines jet crash, with state media describing the situation as "grim".
Parts of the Boeing 737-800 jet were found on Monday strewn across mountain slopes charred by fire after China's first crash involving a commercial jetliner since 2010.
Flight MU5735 was en route from the southwestern city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan province, to Guangzhou in Guangdong province bordering Hong Kong, when it suddenly plunged from cruising altitude and crashed.
The aircraft, with 123 passengers and nine crew on board, lost contact over the city of Wuzhou, China's Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the airline said.
Flightradar24 indicated the plane was six years old.
A working group from the Chinese aviation regulator has been deployed to the crash site, alongside local fire, rescue and paramilitary forces.
Wet weather is forecast this week where the plane crashed.
In describing the difficult terrain, state media said the crash site is hemmed in by mountains on three sides, with access provided by just one tiny path.
US-based aviation analyst Robert Mann said investigators will need the flight data recorders to understand what might have caused the abrupt descent suggested by Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) data.
ADS-B is a technology that allows aircraft to be tracked.
The website of China Eastern was turned to black and white after the tragedy as the company expressed its grief.
State media has described the situation as appearing "grim", with the possibility of all onboard perishing unable to be ruled out.
The last crash of a commercial jetliner in mainland China was in 2010, when an Embraer E-190 regional jet flown by Henan Airlines crashed on approach to Yichun airport in low visibility, killing 44 of the 96 people on board.
China Eastern said the cause of the crash was under investigation.
The carrier on Monday grounded its fleet of 737-800 planes, state media reported.
It has 109 of the aircraft, according to FlightRadar24.
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