At least 48 people were killed and 10 injured when a twin-engine turboprop plane crashed while attempting to land in Penghu Islands , according to Taiwan 's Civil Aeronautics Administration . TransAsia Airways Flight GE 222 was preparing to land at Magong Airport in heavy rain on Wednesday and had asked for its second go-around before the accident occurred , according to Taiwan 's Central News Agency . Visibility at the airport during the plane 's attempted landing was about 1,600 meters ( 1 mile ) and considered acceptable for landing , Jean Shen , Taiwan 's Civil Aeronautics Administration director told reporters . Transportation officials arrived Thursday morning to investigate the disaster and assist in relief work . The cause of the crash remains unclear and authorities have identified 14 of the 48 killed , according to CNA . The flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been sent to Taipei , the agency reported . The plane , an ATR 72-500 , carried 54 passengers and four crew members . The domestic flight , which took off from Kaohsiung , Taiwan , had been delayed because of conditions related to a typhoon , the airline said . Typhoon Matmo had struck Taiwan on Wednesday . Typhoon Matmo threatens mudslides in Taiwan . `` Yesterday was an extremely painful day for Taiwan , '' its President Ma Ying-jeou posted on his official Facebook page , adding that the typhoon had injured 17 people . `` After hearing of the tragedy , and watching relatives break down on TV news , I believe many Taiwanese were the same as me , passing a heartbroken and sleepless night . '' Grief in Taiwan . Family members crumpled to the ground , overtaken with grief of losing of loved ones , in footage shown on CNN 's affiliate , ETTV . TransAsia Airways sent families of the victims on a chartered flight to Penghu Islands , the site of the crash , which is located off the west coast of the main Taiwanese island . The pilots of Flight GE 222 were identified as Lee Yi-liang , who had 22 years of flight experience , and co-pilot Chiang Kuna-hsing who had two-and-a-half years of experience , according to CNA . Friends of one of the crew members posted on his Facebook page , `` Come back '' and `` Rest in peace . '' Also aboard the plane was Yen Ken-chuang , an 82-year-old Taiwanese wood architect , according to the Ministry of Culture 's Bureau of Cultural Heritage , CNA reported . It also reported that a local firefighter , Lee Ming-tsun , 47 , was pulled from the wreckage by his colleagues . Lee was a leader of one of the divisions , and was returning from his holiday . French passengers identified as Jeromine Deramond and Penelope Luternauer died in the plane crash , according to CNA . They were on a one-month exchange program in the field of medicine in Taiwan . `` TransAsia Airways is exhausting all means to assist passengers , victims and families '' and working with investigators , an airline statement read . The airline 's president , Chooi Yee-choong appeared briefly at a news conference and bowed in front of news cameras . He choked up as he expressed his sorrow to passengers ' families and the public . `` I sincerely apologize , '' he said . Crash site . Footage on scene showed the plane had crashed in a residential area and broken into pieces . Witnesses told CNN affiliate ETTV that they saw homes on fire after the plane crashed around 7 p.m . The fallen plane destroyed or damaged 11 houses , EETV reported . There were no casualties on the ground , said Taiwan 's Transportation Minister Yeh Kuang-shih . Five residents were injured , but they were discharged from local hospitals . The ATR 72-500 plane was delivered to Taiwan 's TransAsia Airways from the production line in 2000 , according to the aircraft maker . Xi Jinping , China 's president expressed his condolences saying he was `` deeply grieved '' by the accident .
Two people killed and 10 injured when plane tried to land in Taiwanese island . China Airlines Flight GE 222 attempted to land twice , Taiwan news agency reports . Taiwan 's transportation minister said there were no casualties on the ground . Cause of accident is under investigation .