Typhoon caused 47 deaths in plane crash in Taiwan

A TransAsia Airways turboprop plane crashed on an island off the coast of Taiwan as it attempted a desperate emergency landing during a typhoon on July 23.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Of the 58 passengers aboard the plane 47 were killed and 11 were injured when the plane missed the airport and slammed into the ground in the village of Xixi in Penghu island.

Pray for the victims of this tragedy.

Among the passengers of Flight GE222, there were four children and four crew members.

Photos of the crash site showed emergency response crews swarming the wreckage with flashlights to illuminate the darkness and make their way through the twisted wreckage.

A report from Taiwan News said that the ATR-72 twin-engine jet was scheduled to leave the southern city of Kaohsiung, on Taiwan's main island, at 4 p.m. but was delayed because of bad weather due to Typhoon Matmo, which struck Taiwan overnight on July 22.

The pilot managed to take off at 5:45 p.m. but encountered heavy rains and strong winds during the 35 minute trip, forcing the pilot to delay any landing attempts until after 7 p.m., which failed, forcing a second try, which is when ground crews lost contact with the jet.

Taiwan aviation officials said it was too early to tell whether Typhoon Matmo caused the crash.

The pilot, Lee Yi-liang, had nearly 23,000 hours of flying experience, while the co-pilot, Chiang Kuan-hsing, had nearly 2,400 hours spent in the air, the airline said in a statement. The plane had been operating safely for 14 years, and it is currently unknown if either pilot survived.

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