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Taiwan plane crash: Toll hits 48 as families visit scene | Taiwan plane crash: Toll hits 48 as families visit scene |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Forty-eight people are now known to have died after a passenger plane crashed in Taiwan's Penghu archipelago, amid stormy weather in the area. | |
The plane, carrying 58 people, crashed into buildings after a failed attempt to land at Magong airport. | The plane, carrying 58 people, crashed into buildings after a failed attempt to land at Magong airport. |
The other 10 people on board were hurt. Two French nationals were on the plane, officials said. No crew members are thought to have survived. | The other 10 people on board were hurt. Two French nationals were on the plane, officials said. No crew members are thought to have survived. |
Family members were flying to Penghu on Thursday, Taiwan media said. | Family members were flying to Penghu on Thursday, Taiwan media said. |
Minister of Transportation Yeh Kuang-shih and aviation officials were also flying to the island to start an investigation into the disaster, Taiwan's CNA news agency said. | Minister of Transportation Yeh Kuang-shih and aviation officials were also flying to the island to start an investigation into the disaster, Taiwan's CNA news agency said. |
The plane that crashed was an ATR-72 TransAsia Airways aircraft flying from Taiwan's southern city of Kaohsiung to Penghu, a popular tourist destination in the Taiwan Strait. | The plane that crashed was an ATR-72 TransAsia Airways aircraft flying from Taiwan's southern city of Kaohsiung to Penghu, a popular tourist destination in the Taiwan Strait. |
Magong is the main city in Penghu, which consists of a main island and several smaller islands off the west coast of Taiwan. | |
It was Taiwan's first fatal air crash in more than a decade and came after Typhoon Matmo struck, bringing torrential rain and high wind. | |
The plane crashed on its second attempt to land at the airport. It lost contact with controllers after telling them it was going around again. | The plane crashed on its second attempt to land at the airport. It lost contact with controllers after telling them it was going around again. |
The aircraft then came down in Xixi village outside the airport. | The aircraft then came down in Xixi village outside the airport. |
"I heard a loud bang," TV station TBS quoted a local resident as saying. "I thought it was thunder, and then I heard another bang and I saw a fireball not far away from my house." | "I heard a loud bang," TV station TBS quoted a local resident as saying. "I thought it was thunder, and then I heard another bang and I saw a fireball not far away from my house." |
Images late on Wednesday night showed firefighters dousing flames at the scene and and using torches to rescue injured passengers. | Images late on Wednesday night showed firefighters dousing flames at the scene and and using torches to rescue injured passengers. |
Official said visibility at the time of the crash was 1,600m (one mile) and within acceptable standards for landing, despite the storm. | Official said visibility at the time of the crash was 1,600m (one mile) and within acceptable standards for landing, despite the storm. |
Five Penghu residents were injured on the ground but by Thursday morning all had been discharged from hospital, the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said. | |
TransAsia, a private airline, flies domestic routes in Taiwan and international routes in North and South-East Asia. | TransAsia, a private airline, flies domestic routes in Taiwan and international routes in North and South-East Asia. |
It has apologised and says it will compensate relatives of those on board. | It has apologised and says it will compensate relatives of those on board. |
TransAsia said the pilot had 22 years of experience and the co-pilot had two and a half years. But it says it will have to wait for analysis of flight data from the black box to determine who was flying the plane. | |
In a statement, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou called it a "very sad day in the history of Taiwan aviation". | |
This is Taiwan's worst aviation disaster since May 2002, when a China Airlines flight from Taipei to Hong Kong crashed near Penghu, killing all 225 on board. | This is Taiwan's worst aviation disaster since May 2002, when a China Airlines flight from Taipei to Hong Kong crashed near Penghu, killing all 225 on board. |