A PASSENGER plane with 58 people on board plunged into a river after clipping a road bridge outside Taiwan’s capital, with 27 people rescued so far, leaving others unaccounted for.
The number of fatalities are unclear, but the Taiwanese Civil Aviation Authority said in a press conference that there were nine confirmed deaths, 18 people were injured, and 31 people who were unaccounted for.
Local media has since reported that up to 19 are dead, but according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV, the death toll has risen to 21.
Since the crash, terrifiying images have also emerged of how the plane went off course before it hit the bridge and then crashed into the river.
Terrifying images … A montage of dashboard cam images showing the moments before the TransAsia Airways plane crash in New Taipei City. Source: Missxoxo168 / Twitter Source: Twitter
The plane’s wing also hit a taxi, the driver of which was injured, on the freeway just before it crashed into the river, Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS reported.
The driver survived the incident and was taken to hospital for further medical treatment
Close call … a taxi was clipped by the plane as it crashed. Picture: TVBS/YouTube Source: Supplied
A TransAsia media office declined comment on possible reasons for the crash. Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration also was also unable to discuss possible causes of the crash.
The New Taipei City Fire Department has dispatched five rescue teams, equipped with speed boats, to the accident site near the Nanyang Bridge in Xizhi district, CNA said.
The aeroplane was flying to the offshore island of Kinmen and had only just left Taipei Songshan Airport when the accident happened.
TransAsia Airways was involved in another fatal crash less than a year ago, while attempting to land at Magong Airport on July 23. Forty-seven of the 58 people on board the ATR-72-500 were killed, and seven seriously injured when the plane crashed at the end of the runway and slid into residential buildings.
Prior to that, the Taiwan based airline was involved in a runway collision with a truck in March 2003. All 175 passengers and crew survived the incident at Tainan Airport when the truck trespassed the tarmac into the path of the A320.
Survivors … passengers from the TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
An injured passenger … is escorted by emergency personnel up the river bank. Picture: AFP Source: AFP
SOURCE:::: http://www.news.com.au
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