PARIS (Sputnik) — Two experts from the French Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA) will assist the investigation of the aircrash of TransAsia Airways airline in Taiwan, BEA said in a statement Wednesday.
“A team of two investigators from the BEA, representing the State of Design and Manufacture of the aeroplane, accompanied by four technical advisers from ATR, is travelling to Taiwan within a few hours to participate in the Safety Investigation led by the Aviation Safety Council (ASC),” BEA said in a statement published on its website.
4 February 2015, 11:41 GMT
Earlier in the day, the TransAsia Airways ATR-72 aircraft with five crew members and 53 passengers crashed into the Keelung River shortly after takeoff, en route from the Taipei Songshan Airport to the island of Greater Kinmen.
At least 26 people have been confirmed dead in the accident, the Straits Times reported Wednesday. According to the newspaper, 17 people remain missing.
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop short-haul regional airliner. It has been produced by Franco-Italian aircraft manufacturer ATR since 1988.
