A domestic TransAsia Airways plane crashed on landing on an island off the west coast of typhoon-hit Taiwan on Wednesday, killing 47 people, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said.<br /><br />The plane, a 70-seat turboprop ATR 72, crashed near the runway with 54 passengers and four crew on board, it said.<br /><br />“It’s chaotic on the scene,” director Jean Shen told Reuters.<br /><br />Eleven injured people had been taken to hospital, the government said.<br /><br />The accident happened on one of the Penghu islands, also known as the Pescadores. No more details were immediately available.<br /><br />Typhoon Matmo slammed into Taiwan on Wednesday with heavy rains and strong winds, shutting financial markets and schools.<br /><br />TransAsia Airways is a Taiwan-based airline with a fleet of around 23 Airbus and ATR aircraft, flying chiefly on domestic routes, but with some flights to Japan, Thailand and Cambodia among its Asian destinations.<br /><br />Apart from Wednesday’s event, Taiwan’s aviation safety council says Transasia has had a total of 8 incidents since 2002, including 6 involving the ATR 72<br /><br />Reuters
