Plane crashes in Taiwan, kills 51

A plane carrying 54 people and crew members has crashed in Taiwan, killing 51 passengers.

AFP reports from Taiwan that the plane was making a second landing attempt in stormy weather but crashed at an airport on a small Taiwanese island late Wednesday, July 23, killing 51 people and injuring seven.

According to AFP, "Taiwan was battered by Typhoon Matmo early Tuesday morning, and the Central Weather Bureau was advising of heavy rain through the evening, even though the center of the storm was in mainland China.

"The flight was heading from the capital, Taipei, to the island Penghu, halfway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan in the Taiwan Strait. Pictures from the airport showed a handful of firefighters using flashlights to look at wreckage in the darkness. Penghu is a lightly populated island that averages about two flights a day from Taipei. 

"Taiwan's Central News Agency cites the Civil Aviation Administration as saying the flight carried 54 passengers and four flight crew and was operated by a Taiwanese airline, TransAsia Airways".

Details later...