A pilot had called "mayday, mayday, engine flameout" minutes before the plane took a nosedive in a river in Taipei. TransAsia Flight GE235 crashed into a river in Taipei shortly after take-off yesterday.
There were 58 passengers on board. At least 31 people were killed in the crash, which includes pilot Liao Chien-tsung and his co-pilot, 12 are still missing. Most passengers were from China and the plane was headed to Kinmen Islands.
According to recent reports, Chien-tsung, reported 'engine abnormalites' before the plane took off.
Cars passing by the bridge next to the river captured the event and praises for Chien-tsung flooded after he tried to steer clear of downtown Taipei and managed to save lives.
Chien-tsung's family told reporters that they are very proud of him for saving many lives.
Watch the dash cam video below:
Rescue teams used a crane to recover the ATR 72-600 aircraft in the Keelung River at Taiwan's capital city. Survivors were carried to rubber rafts, while others managed to swim towards the riverbank to safety.
A Taiwanese family managed to survive the fatal crash. Lin Rinyao was travelling with his wife, Jiang Yuying, and their one year and three-month old baby, and his father, Lin Mingwei when the plane hit the river.
Rinyao said he had to act fast to save his family. He dived in the river right after the crash and looked for his missing son. When he found him, he had to perform CPR to keep his son alive. "I cannot lose my son," Rinyao said.
Rinyao's son was resuscitated and rushed to a nearby hospital, he is now being observed in the ICU.
A video from a Taiwanese news channel showed a toddler who was pulled out form the half-submerged fuselage of the plane.
Although some were lucky enough to survive the tragic crash, there were also those who lost their lives. Rescue teams came by the hundreds and scoured the river for the missing 12.
