The last few weeks have been rough for the aviation industry. Tragically, a TransAsia Airways plane crashed near Taiwan Wednesday (July 23), killing dozens. Varying reports say that 40 to 51 people died aboard flight GE222.
The New York Times reports:
The Transportation Ministry said late Wednesday that 47 people had been killed and 11 injured when Flight 222, an ATR 72, crashed into residential buildings in a village near Magong and caught fire.
The 14-year-old plane was carrying 54 passengers and four crew members, Taiwan’s Central News Agency reported.
Flight 222, normally scheduled to leave at 4 p.m., had been delayed because of bad weather. It finally left at 5:42 p.m. for the 35-minute trip to Magong, the agency reported.
A spokesman for Taiwan’s Aviation Safety Council told reporters that it was too early to say whether the crash was caused by the typhoon. A group of investigators from the council and Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih flew to Magong late Wednesday to begin investigating.
11 people were injured and treated at hospitals. Survivors were seen climbing out of the wreckage. According to one witness the blaze continued to burn “even in the heavy rain.”
See photos in the gallery.
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Photos: Twitter
