A TransAsia Airways flight departing the Taiwanese capital Taipei on Wednesday morning crashed into a river nearby the terminal after coming into contact with an elevated roadway soon after takeoff.
The ATR-72 turboprop aircraft was bound for the offshore island of Kinmen with 58 people onboard, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency. At least 26 people were killed during the crash, the Associated Press reports.
Witness a TransAsia Plane Crash in Taiwan
This screen grab taken from a video shows a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane clipping an elevated motorway and hitting a taxi (C) before crashing into the Keelung river outside Taiwan's capital Taipei in New Taipei City on Feb. 4, 2015.TVBS Taiwan—AFP/Getty ImagesRescue personnel search for passengers from the wreckage of a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane that crash-landed into the Keelung river outside Taiwan's capital Taipei in New Taipei City on Feb. 4, 2015. Sam Yeh—AFP/Getty ImagesAn injured passenger (L) is escorted by emergency personnel up the river bank after a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane crash-landed into the Keelung river outside Taiwan's capital Taipei in New Taipei City on Feb. 4, 2015. Sam Yeh—AFP/Getty ImagesAn injured passenger (C) is carried on a stretcher by emergency personnel up the river bank after a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane crash-landed into the Keelung river outside Taiwan's capital Taipei in New Taipei City on Feb. 4, 2015. Sam Yeh—AFP/Getty ImagesRescue teams carrry a window from a TransAsia Airways ATR 72-600 turboprop airplane that crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff from Taipei Songshan airport in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 4, 2015.Ashley Pon—Getty ImagesA policeman takes photos of passengers' luggage recovered from a TransAsia Airways passenger plane which crashed into the Keelung River in Taipei, Taiwan on Feb. 4, 2015.David Chang—EPARescue personnel, military and members of the media line up along the shore as rescue operations continue to free passengers from a TransAsia ATR 72-600 turboprop plane (not pictured) that crash-landed into a river (at L) outside Taiwan's capital Taipei in New Taipei City on Feb. 4, 2015.Ashley Pon—Getty Images
Rescue operations were ongoing and first responders in rubber boats were at the scene trying to enter the aircraft. Rescuers later used a crane to hoist wreckage out of the water.
Wednesday marks the second deadly incident for TransAsia in the past year after a plane crashed July 23 near the airport at Magong on Taiwan’s Penghu island during a thunderstorm, resulting in 48 deaths and 10 injuries.
