Dramatic dashcam footage in
Taiwan shows a TransAsia Airways plane scraping past a major highway
moments before it careened into a shallow river, killing at least 23
people, with 20 others missing and 15 hospitalized.
The plane, which was carrying 58
people, clipped a bridge shortly after Wednesday’s takeoff from Taipei's
downtown Sungshan Airport, state media said. The plane was visible from
Taiwan’s busy National Freeway No. 1 just seconds before the crash.
The plane can be seen veering sharply, with the wing striking a vehicle and barrier on the plane's descent.
Parts of the wrecked fuselage of
the turboprop ATR 72 jutted out of the Keelung River just a couple
dozen yards from the shore. The main section of fuselage was on its
side, missing a wing.
Rescuers clustered around the
plane in rubber boats more than two hours after the crash, and could be
seen pulling carry-on luggage from an open plane door.
The rescue efforts were ongoing.
Four children were among the passengers, authorities said at a news conference. All passengers were Chinese or Taiwanese.
Officials said the plane joined
the airline's fleet in September and had completed a safety check on
Jan. 26. Authorities also said that the pilot had more than 4,400 hours
of flying experience, while the co-pilot had more than 6,000 hours.
The crash marks the second
tragedy involving one of TransAsia’s French-made ATR 72 planes in the
past year. In July, a flight crashed while attempting to land on the
island of Penghu off Taiwan's coast, killing 48 people and injuring
another 10. Stormy weather and low visibility were suspected as factors in that crash.
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