Local journalists wait in front of a TransAsia reservations desk at the Sungshan airport in Taipei. Credit: Getty Images.
At least 47 are dead after a TransAsia Airways flight crash-landed in XiXi village in Taiwan today. The flight was headed from Kaoksiung, a major city on the east coast of Taiwan's main island, to Magong, one of two airports on the Pengu Island. Pilots attempted to make an emergency landing in stormy weather before crashing.
The aircraft took off more than 90 minutes late because of bad weather caused by Typhoon Matmo. After starting an initial attempt to land, the pilot was told he had to wait until 7:06 p.m. local time Soon after, the plane hit the ground in the village, setting fire to two houses.
Taiwan's Transport Minister Yeh Kuan-shih has said that 58 passengers and crewmembers were aboard the flight, with at least 40 dead and 11 injured.
