Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, May 25, 2002
Missing Taiwan Plane Confirmed Crashed into Sea
A China Airlines flight to Hong Kong with 225 people on board crashed Saturday afternoon over the Taiwan Straits, the airline and officials said. There were no immediate reports of survivors.
A China Airlines flight to Hong Kong with 225 people on board crashed Saturday afternoon over the Taiwan Straits, the airline and officials said. There were no immediate reports of survivors.
The China Airlines Flight C1611, a Boeing 747-200 plane with 206 passengers and 19 crew members on board, including at least three children, took off from Taipei international airport at 2:50 p.m., and was reported missing from radar at about 3:15 near Penghu, a group of islands off Taiwan's western coast.
Victims include 190 Taiwanese, 14 from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao and two foreigners, according to a local television station.
Most of the victims from Taiwan were on a visit to the Chinese mainland.
The plane was scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong at about 4:28 p.m., but it was reported missing from radar at 3:15 p.m.
The last known fatal China Airlines accident was in 1999 when a jetliner flipped over and burst into flames during a crash landing in Hong Kong, killing three people.
Due to a series of crashes in the 1990s, China Airlines --the island province's biggest carrier-- used to be considered one of the world's most dangerous airlines. But in recent years, the carrier has reshuffled its board and has put a greater emphasis on safety.