An airplane operated by Taiwan-based TransAsia Airways has crashed on the outlying island of Penghu, killing 48 people.
The plane was carrying 58 passengers and crew when it crashed into a residential area while landing in Penghu on Wednesday. In a statement issued Thursday morning, TransAsia confirmed that 48 people died in the crash, including two French nationals. Of the 48 people confirmed dead, 16 have not yet been identified. The crash also injured 15 people, including five local residents.
Transportation minister Yeh Kuang-shih led a delegation of aviation officials to Penghu Thursday morning. They inspected the crash site and visited wounded passengers.
Head of the Civil Aeronautics Administration, Jean Shen, said the flight, coded GE222, took off from the southern city of Kaohsiung Wednesday evening. She also said the flight requested a go-around before the crash.
"At 7:06pm, [the flight] requested a go-around, and it immediately disappeared from the radar. We contacted air traffic control and tried to communicate with the flight, but we couldn’t find it. Later on, we found that it crashed into Xixi Village in Magong’s Huxi Township," Shen said.
Aviation officials said that the flight’s black boxes have been found. However, there was significant damage to the black boxes, and they will have to be repaired before the flight data can be examined.
The crashed airplane was built by the French-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR and powered by Canadian PWC engines. Experts from France and Canada will also join the investigation. They are scheduled to arrive Friday.