A TransAsia ATR crashes – Photo: @Missxoxo168

UPDATE 2/4/15 7:00AM PST: The Associated Press is reporting that the death toll from the accident has risen to 25, with 18 people still unaccounted for.  Per civil aviation authorities in Taiwan, the pilot had logged nearly 5,000 flight hours.  The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder (“Black Boxes”) have been recovered, which should assist authorities in determining the cause(s) of the crash.

ORIGINAL STORY: 

TransAsia Flight 235 (GE235), an ATR72-600, has crashed during takeoff while en route from Taipei Sung Shan (TSA) to Kinmen Shang-Yi Airport (KNH), in the Fujian Province. The aircraft, reg# B-22816, was only 10 months old at the time of the crash.

Rescuers and passengers can be seen on the bank with the TransAsia ATR72 in the background – Photo: Yung Jen

Video and photos show the aircraft at a steep angle flying over an overpass and then into the Keelung River. At the time of this update, there have been three reported passenger deaths with another few injured.