A TransAsia Airways plane has crash landed in a Taipei river, injuring more than 10 people, reported Reuters on Wednesday (Feb 4), citing television reports.
The plane, TransAsia B22816, had 58 people aboard when it crash landed at 10:56am, local time, reported TVBS. Of the 58, there were 51 adults, two children and five crew members. Ten people have been rescued and dozens more are trapped, and rescuers are trying to reach them, reported AFP citing television reports.
The plane was an ATR-72, which just arrived in Taiwan last year, reported TVBS. The plane was on a domestic flight when it hit a road bridge before ploughing into the river, the AFP reported.
Taiwan’s TransAsia Airways was involved in a deadly crash in July last year, when its plane, GE222, attempted to land in stormy weather and crashed on a small Taiwanese island, killing 48 people and wrecking houses and cars on the ground.
Footage taken from TVBS shows the plane hitting a vehicle while passing close to a highway while unverified images from a Twitter user in Taiwan have shown images of the plane flying close to a highway and going almost sideways before it hit the river.
More to come as the story unfolds.
UPDATE (6pm, 4th Feb):
According to BBC, reports suggested that the final communication from one of the pilots had been “Mayday, mayday, engine flame out” and that the plane had stalled as a result of the engine failure. Meanwhile, news on the number of dead varied, with TransAsia Airways stating on Facebook that at least 16 people lost their lives. Several people suffered injuries and many were still unaccounted for.
