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World|life|July 24, 2014 / 09:13 AM
At least 48 dead in Taiwan plane crash

AKIPRESS.COM - Taiwan plane crash Forty-eight people are now known to have died after a passenger plane crashed in Taiwan's Penghu island, as a storm passed over the area, BBC reports.

The plane, carrying 58 people, crashed into buildings after a failed attempt to land at Magong airport.

The other 10 people on board were hurt. Two French nationals were on the plane, officials said. No crew members are thought to have survived.

Family members were flying to Penghu on Thursday. Minister of Transportation Yeh Kuang-shih and aviation officials were also flying to the island to start an investigation into the disaster.

The plane that crashed was an ATR-72 TransAsia Airways aircraft flying from Taiwan's southern city of Kaohsiung to Penghu, a popular tourist destination in the Taiwan Strait.

It was Taiwan's first fatal air crash in more than a decade and came as Typhoon Matmo struck, bringing torrential rain and high wind.

The plane crashed on its second attempt to land at the airport. It lost contact with controllers after telling them it was going around again.

Images late on Wednesday night showed firefighters dousing flames at the scene and using torches to rescue injured passengers.

Official said visibility at the time of the crash was 1,600 meters and within acceptable standards for landing, despite the storm.

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