2 killed in plane crash in Taiwan's Pingtung County

TAIPEI, March 16-- A light trainer aircraft plunged into a lagoon in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan, killing both onboard, officials said Monday.

Pingtung County fire service department said the S-6 PA 2002 trainer light aircraft crashed into water off Dapeng Bay at about 10:40 a.m. around half an hour after takeoff.

Rescue workers were at the scene about 10 minutes after the accident, according to the fire department.

Pilot Ko Ming-siu, 50, and the 30-year-old trainee, Yang, were rescued from the water but were showing no signs of life. They were taken to hospitals nearby, according to the fire department.

Registered in Taiwan in February 2007, the U.S.-manufactured ultralight flyer is used for training and tourism purposes.

Also on Monday, a TH-67 military helicopter collided with another helicopter on the apron of a military base in Tainan City during training, damaging the tail rotors of both aircraft but without casualties, according to media reports.

TransAsia Airways flight ATR72-600 aircraft with 58 people on board crashed in Taipei last month, killing 43. Another ATR 72 aircraft, owned by the same company, crashed in July 2014, killing 48 of the 58 on board.

The aviation authority has started an investigating into the light plane crash.