One of the black boxes from the Kunming to Guangzhou flight that crashed on Monday, March 21 has been found, Global Times reports. The second black box has not yet been discovered. 

The box is said to be badly damaged but technical teams are already trying to recover the information inside. 

The discovery was announced during a press conference held in Wuzhou, South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Global Times has also reported that the weather during Monday’s flight was suitable for flying and there were no hazardous conditions. 

The plane was a Boeing 737-800 and was fitted with two black boxes, one in the front and one in the rear. 

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Black boxes are virtually indestructible recording devices that collect both data and audio from the plane. 

They were first invented in Australia in the early 1950s after experts concluded that recordings from planes would enable them to understand what events occured before or led to crashes. 

Despite being called a ‘black box’ the devices are actually orange.

There are several theories as to why they are called black boxes. Some people say it is because they used to be black, while others say it is because the term ‘black box’ relates to the radio, radar and electronic navigational aids that were used during World War II. 

Black boxes are painted in a heat-resistant orange to prevent damage from fire and make them easier to find among the wreckage and different types of terrain. 

The black box in the cockpit of a plane is for recording the audio between pilots and crew. 

The box in the rear of the plane will capture different types of data about the flight and the plane and it is also able to provide animations of what the flight looks like. 

Black boxes are also able to send out ultrasound signals, should the device become lost underwater. 

[Cover image via Weibo@财新网]