TransAsia Airways plane crashes on landing in Taiwan, killing 40: Xinhua

[July 23, 2014]  TAIPEI (Reuters) - A TransAsia Airways plane crashed on landing on an island off tyhoon-hit Taiwan on Wednesday, killing 40 people, China's Xinhua news agency said.

Taiwan media said a domestic flight had crashed, killing or injuring more than 40 people.

"It’s chaotic on the scene," Jean Shen, director of the civil aviation authorities, told Reuters. "The fire department was putting out the flames. They will give us the number of casualties very soon."

Xinhua said the accident happened on one of the Penghu islands, also know as the Pescadores. No more details were immediately available.

Typhoon Matmo slammed into Taiwan on Wednesday with heavy rains and strong winds, shutting financial markets and schools.

TransAsia Airways is a Taiwan-based airline with a fleet of 23 mostly Airbus aircraft, flying chiefly on domestic routes, but with some flights to Japan, Thailand and Cambodia among its Asian destinations.

(Reporting by Michael Gold; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)

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