Vientiane, Oct 19 (IANS): Thirty bodies have been recovered since the Lao Airlines flight QV301 crashed into the Mekong river Wednesday, a senior civil aviation official said Friday.

The plane had crashed into the bank of the Mekong river in bad weather, while flying from Lao capital Vientiane to Pakse International Airport with 44 passengers and five crew on board.

According to Director of Lao Civil Aviation Yakao Lopangkao, the "black box" flight data recorder is yet to be recovered, Xinhua reported.

An additional contingent of at least 40 Thai soldiers, including a 10-member navy diving team, has arrived to assist in the recovery effort, a Thai army officer said.

The diving team is equipped with site scan sonar, echo sonar and metal detection equipment, he added.

The dangerously strong current below the Mekong river surface was hampering searching efforts. The river is about seven to eight meters deep, a volunteer diver said.

A sombre mood lingers at Chond De temple, where bodies of the crash victims are awaiting to be identified.