China's aviation authority says too early to say cause of plane crash, still searching for black boxes

China's aviation body said it was too early to know the cause of Monday's crash and that rescuers were still hunting for crucial flight recorders at the scene of the disaster, after a passenger plane carrying 132 people plunged into a mountainside.

"As the investigation has just begun, with the current information, we are unable to make a clear judgment on the cause of the accident," said Zhu Tao, director of the aviation safety office at China's aviation authority, on Tuesday -- adding that the investigation team would focus on "the search for flight recorders at the scene of the incident".