Multiple Fatal Injuries Reported, Typhoon Possibly A Factor

A TransAsia Airways ATR 72 has reportedly gone down in Taiwan's Pengu Islands during an emergency landing attempt. Officials say as many as 45 people were fatally injured in the accident.

USA Today relays a report from the Taiwan news agency CNA, which had originally reported 51 fatally injured, but revised that figure to 45 killed and 9 injured. Other reports put the number of fatal injuries at 53.

The news agency said that the plane impacted a residential building in the city of Magong about 1900 local time. The flight, GE 222, had departed Kaohsiung, the second-largest city in Taiwan, about two hours earlier for a flight scheduled to last only 35 minutes.

CNN reports that Typhoon Matmo had recently passed through the region, and the weather was reported to be poor with low visibility as the plane made its landing attempt. The online source Dispatch News Desk reports that, according to traffic on Twitter, the plane had made one previous landing attempt prior to the accident attempt.

FMI: https://twitter.com/hashtag/GE222?src=hash, http://www.caa.gov.tw/en/index.asp