Kanyi Okeke
A domestic TransAsia Airways plane crashed on landing on an island off the west coast of tyhoon-hit Taiwan today Wednesday 23rd, killing 51 people. The plane, a 70-seat turboprop ATR 72, crashed near the runway with 54 passengers and four crew on board, it said.
“It’s chaotic on the scene, eleven injured people had been taken to hospital” director Jean Shen said.
The accident happened on one of the Penghu islands, also known as the Pescadores. Typhoon Matmo slammed into Taiwan on Wednesday with heavy rains and strong winds, shutting financial markets and schools.
TransAsia Airways is a Taiwan-based airline with a fleet of around 23 Airbus and ATR aircraft, flying chiefly on domestic routes, but with some flights to Japan, Thailand and Cambodia among its Asian destinations.
Apart from Wednesday’s event, Taiwan’s aviation safety council says TransAsia has had a total of 8 incidents since 2002, including 6 involving the ATR 72.
