Gruesome video of TransAsia Flight 235 going down. Not for the faint of heart or for those who don’t like to fly, but do. When you see something like this, it just reinforces the idea that flying in Asia or Malaysia is just not as safe as it should be.
A small TransAsia flight crashed into a Taipei harbor Wednesday, injuring “a number” of theestimated 53 passengers who are still reportedly awaiting rescue.
Flight GE 235 crashed shortly after takeoff, via the Straits Times:
#Transasia #ATR72 – dashcam via @Missxoxo168 correlates w/wider pics of scene. Bloomberg: http://t.co/BOpbjokhfa pic.twitter.com/5AliUZ5TJs
— Tom Grundy (@tomgrundy) February 4, 2015
The ATR-72 turboprop aircraft with 58 onboard was flying from Taipei to the offshore island of Kinmen when it crashed into the Keelung River after apparently ramming into a highway viaduct, Taiwan’s Central News Agency (CNA) said. Taiwan’s United Daily News said about 10 people have been sent to hospital, and more than 40 are still awaiting rescue.
The New Taipei City Fire Department has despatched five rescue teams, equipped with speed boats, to the accident site near the Nanyang Bridge in Xizhi district, CNA said.
It’s also the second TransAsia crash this year—48 people died in July when Flight 222 crashed in a storm just outside of Penghu.
Update—2/4 12:15 am:
Several news outlets are reporting fatalities—anywhere from two to eight or nine passengers were reportedly killed in the crash, while dozens of survivors were hospitalized, say Reuters, theBBC and the Straits Times.
The Guardian is reporting that the taxi driver whose car was clipped by the plane suffered a head injury and concussion but was hospitalized with stable vital signs.
Multiple Passengers Killed in TransAsia Airways Bridge Crash.
This is why I carry an clean pair of skivvies in the glove box of my car – for just these occasions.