Rough seas are hampering rescuers trying to search for bodies from the Taiwanese airliner which crashed into the sea with more than 200 people on board. Seventy-eight bodies have so far been recovered and and rescuers say there is little hope of finding anyone alive.

There is almost no chance of finding survivors

Contrary to earlier reports, the "black box" flight recorders from the Boeing 747 have not been located yet.

The plane, operated by the Taiwanese flag-carrier China Airlines, suddenly disappeared from radar screens 20 minutes into a routine flight to Hong Kong.

The cause of the disaster is still a mystery but speculation is mounting that the aircraft exploded in mid-air - a theory supported by the discovery of aircraft debris more than 70 kilometres (48 miles) away, on the west coast of Taiwan.

Little hope

Military planes, helicopters and vessels have been scouring the crash area in the Taiwan Strait for survivors, but it is thought that the force of the impact would have been too great for anyone to survive.

The Taiwan Coast Guard is continuing its search

"There is almost no chance for survivors," said Chang Kuo-cheng, director of Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA).

"Given the high altitude when it started plunging into the sea, I don't think any person could stand the impact."

Relatives of some of the victims have been flown to the scene of the disaster, and are expected to help with the identification process.

Explosion speculation

Many of Taiwan's Sunday newspapers carry articles attacking China Airlines for its poor safety record.

The company placed a half-page apology in one of Taiwan's major Chinese-language newspapers in large, bold Chinese characters.

The apology, signed by the company's chairman, Y.L. Lee, said: "We want to express our deepest regrets to the victims' families and the public. We will do our best to help the families to recover."

This is China Airlines' fourth major crash in less than 10 years.

China Airlines accidents

1999 - MD11 airliner crash lands in Hong Kong, killing three people 1998 - A300-600 airliner crashes near Taipei in fog and rain, killing all 197 on board and at least seven on ground 1994 - A300-600 crashes during approach in Nagoya, Japan, killing 264 people 1989 - 737-200 hits mountain near Hualien, Taiwan, killing 56 people

Local media and aviation experts say a mid-air explosion might have occurred - similar to the one that brought down a Trans World Airline (TWA) Boeing 747 in 1996 near New York.

David Learmount, Operations and Safety Editor of Flight International, said the fact that the pilots had no time to send a signal could point to an explosion.

"On a short range flight such as this the plane would not need any fuel in its central wing fuel tank - the tank between the wings, under the passenger compartment - which would have left it full of fuel vapours," Mr Learmount told BBC News Online.

"It is possible that some kind of spark ignited the vapours and caused the tank to explode, as happened in the case of the TWA 100, a very similar plane to the Boeing 747-200 which was involved here," he added.

China Airlines president Billy Wei ruled out mechanical problems or weather as factors in the crash.

"If there were any mechanical problems, the pilots should have had enough time to inform the control tower. There was no distress call of any kind before it disappeared," he said.

Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council has declined to speculate on the cause of the crash.

A Boeing team of investigators is reported to be on its way to Taiwan from the United States.

Why?

The company said the Boeing 747 that crashed on Saturday was built in 1979 and was the last plane of its kind in the airline's fleet.

It was reportedly its last flight for China Airlines, as it had been sold to a Thai carrier.

Many of the victims' relatives argued with airline officials over the condition of the plane.

Ibrahim El-hinn, who is married to a Taiwanese woman, said 11 members of his wife's family were on board the flight.

"Why did they put an older plane in service?" he asked. "Did they want people to die?"

The crash of Flight CI 611 follows two major accidents in the region involving mainland Chinese airlines during the past month.