London: A Taiwanese TransAsia Airways flight with more than 50 people aboard hit a bridge and crashed into a river near the capital Taipei on Wednesday morning, leaving at least nine people dead.
According to the BBC, the domestic flight ATR-72, carrying 53 passengers and five crew members, had just taken off from Taipei Songshan Airport and was headed to the outlying Kinmen islands, just off the coast of south-east China, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CAN) said.
CNA said that the plane lost contact with flight controllers before it crashed into Keelung River near the city’s downtown Sungshan airport.
Rescue teams rushed to help survivors of the plane crash. Many passengers were wounded in the mishap. Reports suggest that there are still people trapped inside the plane.
