A domestic TransAsia Airways flight crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing near Magong airport on the outlying Penghu island of Taiwan today, reports BBC News. There were a total of 54 passengers and four crew on board, Taiwan's CNA news agency reported. According to Bloomberg, 47 people are dead.

Rescue workers are trying to save passengers that are feared trapped in the plane. TransAsia Airways flight GE222 crashed while attempting to land in stormy weather caused by Typhoon Matmo. Typhoon Matmo caused many flights to be cancelled, but the land warning was lifted around 5:30 p.m. local time, around the time the plane took off, BBC reports.

This is turning out to be an expensive year for air insurers

The ATR 72 turboprop aircraft departed from the southern municipality of Kaohsiung at 5:43 local time (09:43 GMT), but lost contact with controllers at 7:06, CNA said, citing the Civil Aeronautics Administration. The plane was found at Penghu island's Xixi village in flames, local media reported.

Read more from BBC News HERE.

Updated at 1:29 p.m. EST with Bloomberg death toll.

Special Reports /

Are you aviophobic yet? Taiwan plane crashes in failed emergency landing

Related Stories

Recommended For You