TransAsia ATR-72 Aircraft Crashes into Taiwan River

A TransAsia Airways ATR 72 aircraft carrying 58 people has crashed into a river near the capital of Taiwan. The aircraft operating flight number GE235 took off from Taipei's Songshan Airport en route to the island of Kinmen. According to the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration, sixteen people have been rescued, while at least two have been confirmed dead.

Image Source: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images/Wall St. Journal
Thirty-one of the fifty-eight passengers on board were Chinese nationals. The aircraft was also carrying five crew members. Video footage captured showed the aircraft clipping a bridge seconds before it crashed into Taipei's Keelung River.

Image Source: The Guardian
The wreckage of the aircraft remains floating in the Keelung River where first responders are on scene to rescue any survivors. According to witnesses, at least two bodies were observed falling from the sky at the time of the crash. Reports have indicated that pieces of aircraft debris hit a taxi on the ground, sending the driver to hospital.


Rescuers on rafts continue to attempt to free people from the aircraft, which remains submerged. This is the second crash within a period of one year for Taiwan based TransAsia Airways. Last July, another TransAsia ATR-72 aircraft travelling from Taipei to Penghu crashed just minutes before landing, killing 48 people on board. TransAsia Airways handles ground handling and ticketing in Taiwan for Cebu Pacific.

1 comment:

  1. To me it looks like he lost an engine on take-off with ATR not yet accelerated passed VMCA and subsequently V2. The pilots loose control and hence this! Unfortunate to loose an engine on take off. Can be a beast on these aircrafts

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