Dramatic up-close video captured the crash of a TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 in Taipei, Taiwan, on Wednesday that killed at least 31 people and injured several others.
The ATR 72-600 turboprop took off from Sungshan Airport around 11:30 a.m. local time and issued a mayday call shortly afterward, although the transmission did not include additional details about the nature of the emergency. Officials say they lost contact with the plane just minutes later.
A highway driver’s dashcam captured the airplane in an extremely low, steep bank as it clipped the side of the road before crashing into the Keelung River.
A total of 58 people were on board the French-Italian built airplane, according to authorities. At least 31 were confirmed killed on Wednesday, while 15 were rescued with injuries and 12 more unaccounted for. Officials expressed little hope that the survivor count would rise, stating that those yet to be found were either still located in the fuselage — and consequently likely did not survive — or further down the river. After clearing the area, search and rescue personnel used a crane to raise the fuselage from the water.
The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder were recovered from the wreckage, although authorities have yet to give a preliminary cause for the crash. The pilot reportedly had a total of 4,900 flight hours.
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