Rescuers seek survivors to China plane crash

Rescuers are today searching for survivors after a Chinese plane carrying 112 people crashed into the sea near its destination in the port city of Dalian.

The China Northern Airlines flight from Beijing crashed yesterday while approaching Dalian after the pilot reported a fire.

More than 60 bodies have been retrieved and no survivors were spotted by rescue boats and

volunteer fishermen who launched an initial search last night.

China Northern said there were 103 passengers and nine crew on the plane, including eight foreigners, believed to be Japanese and Korean.

The flight took off just after 8.30pm yesterday and lost contact with air traffic controllers less than an hour later, eight minutes before its scheduled landing.

The plane went down in the Bohai Sea some 12 miles from the airport in Dalian.