Plane with 58 Onboard Crashes in Taipei
[Updated 2/10 10.00am] Of the 58 people onboard the flight there are 15 survivors, 40 are confirmed dead, and 3 that remain missing.
TransAsia Airways flight GE235 from Taipei to Kinmen crashed into Keelung River near downtown Taipei at 10.56am this morning. Five crew members and 53 passengers were onboard, 31 from mainland China. By 2/10 10.00am, 40 people are confirmed dead and 3 still remain missing.
The plane was set to fly from Taipei to Kinmen, a small archipelago close to Xiamen, but the pilots reported engine failure. Before crashing, air traffic control approved the plane to return to Songshan airport, which services Taipei's domestic flights. The fuselage landed into the Keelung River, clipping a bridge and at least one car before crash landing. The fuselage remains upside down in the river with passengers trapped inside.
27 of the 31 mainland tourists onboard were travelling through two agencies – Deyun and Feiyang. Both are subsidiary of Xiamen International Travelling Group. The full passenger and crew list can be found here, with all names apparently of Chinese origin.
