An investigation has begun into the cause of a Swiss plane crash which has left twenty-four people dead.
Nine people managed to walk away from the wreckage of the plane after it crashed near Zurich airport on a flight from Berlin.
Authorities refused to say whether the pilots were among the survivors. But they retrieved the flight recorders from the cockpit, which was only partially destroyed.
Police have recovered the bodies of 10 people during an overnight search. There were five crew, all Swiss, and 28 passengers on board the plane.
"Unfortunately we could find no more survivors," said Zurich police chief Mr Peter Gruetter.
There was no trace of the remaining 14 people, but Mr Gruetter said the "search and rescue" phase is now over - implying there is no chance they might have escaped.
"It's a horrible scene and my feelings are undescribable," said Crossair chief executive office Mr Andre Dose after visiting the site of the accident. "It's the worst possible thing that can happen to an air company."
Mr Gruetter said there were Germans, Austrians, Swiss, Canadians, Dutch and Israelis on the flight. He declined to give a detailed passenger list or say if the pilot was among the survivors, saying that notification of next of kin is still ongoing.
The nine known survivors, who varying degrees of burns, walked on their own to rescue workers.
Officials are remaining tight-lipped about the possible cause of the crash of Flight LX3597 from Berlin - the second accident to strike Crossair in less than two years. But they say terrorism is not being seriously considered.
But two experts quoted on state-run Swiss television said the Crossair Jumbolino plane appeared to be flying too low.
Weather conditions were also poor, with rain and some snow, when the Jumbolino Avro RJ-100 went down just after 10pm.
Airport officials said communication between the pilot - a veteran with more than 10 years' flying experience - had been normal. Eye witnesses reported nothing unusual.
AP