Taiwan Plane Crash Kills 47, Injures 11 During Typhoon Emergency Landing (PHOTO)
A Taiwan plane crash killed 47 people and injured 11 after the airplane botched an emergency landing in bad weather Wednesday, according to reports. Flight GE 222 was going from Kaohsiung, Taiwan to Magong, but the 35-minute flight ended in disaster.
The Taiwan plane crash occurred at about 7 p.m. local time right outside Magong airport, slamming into residential buildings in the Penghu islands. The ATR 72, a twin-engine turboprop plane, was attempting to make an emergency landing because weather conditions were bad after Typhoon Matmo, according to The Telegraph. The storm brutalized mainland China Tuesday, but heavy rains followed the next day, forcing the pilot to attempt the landing.
The pilot first requested a go-around when it first tried to land, but then "lost contact" with the flight tower, Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Jean Shen told Focus Taiwan.
Flight GE 222 was operated by Taiwanese airline TransAsia, which usually flies two planes a day to the Penghu islands, Taiwan's Civil Aviation Administration reported. The ATR 72 plane had 50 adults, four children and four flight crew on board when the crash occurred.
Firefighters were seen combing through the wreckage of the plane with flashlights in several photos to look for survivors. The official reason for the crash is currently under investigation, according to reports.
