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Plane crash lands near Taipei, at least 13 dead - Video

by Staff reporter
04 Feb 2015 at 07:31hrs | Views
At least 13 people were killed when a passenger plane with 58 people aboard clipped a highway overpass in Taiwan before crashing into a river in New Taipei City, according to reports.

The TransAsia Airways turboprop aircraft took off from Taipei's Songshan Airport bound for the island of Kinmen Wednesday when it crashed belly-up into the Keelung River, The Straits Times reported.

Dramatic images from the scene show first responders scrambling in boats to rescue survivors from the shattered plane in what appears to be waist-deep water.







Video caught the ATR-72 plane's final harrowing moments as it rolled 90 degrees as the wing clipped the highway.



The plane appears to stall as it barely clears a row of buildings before the left wing and rear elevator strike the far edge of the highway en route to a river crash.

A taxi was hit by the plane's wing but narrowly missed being carved in half. The driver and his passenger were slightly injured in the collision, according to reports.




 
At least 30 people are missing or are still trapped inside the plane while several others, including two children, have been sent to area hospitals, according to reports. Many of the passengers were from mainland China.

Taiwan's Central News Agency said the flight lost contact with flight controllers at 10:55 a.m.

It's the second crash in a little more than six months for privately-held TransAsia. Another ATR-72 crashed on final approach to Taiwan's Penghu Islands in July, killing 48 people and injuring 10.





Source - NY Daily