The identities of 36 of the 48 victims who died in the TransAsia Airways crash on Wednesday in the outlying Penghu Islands have been confirmed. The remaining 12 are still undergoing DNA testing.
The airplane crashed into a residential area while landing in Penghu on Wednesday, killing 48 and injuring 15. Of the 48 deceased, 23 were identified as Penghu residents, 21 were from Kaohsiung, 2 were from Taipei and 2 were French exchange students.
Eight of the injured were sent to Taiwan’s main island to be treated including a 10-year old girl.
President Ma ying-jeou went to visit some of the victims in the hospital on Friday. He said he was comforted to see that two of the passengers didn’t just take care of themselves but also saved the girl’s life. Ma spoke on Friday about the crash.
"This incident is really regretful. There have been many years since we had an air disaster," said Ma. "This time we can only tell relevant agencies to strengthen aviation safety. I hope we can all work together to help the injured recover, the victims to rest in peace and let Taiwan be safe and at peace."
The president said the priority now is to treat the wounded and figure out the cause of the crash. He also has told relevant agencies to propose measures to strengthen aviation safety. The last plane crash in Taiwan was 12 years ago.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis sent his condolences to the archbishop of Taipei, John Hung, and said he was praying that the victims rest in peace.
The director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) also expressed condolences Friday over the TransAsia Airways crash, the downing of a Malaysia Airlines aircraft and the loss of an Air Algerie plane, which happened all within the space of one week.