No Thais aboard ill-fated TransAsia aircraft in Taiwan

BANGKOK, February 4 (TNA) - The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that no Thai nationals were aboard a TransAsia Airways passenger plane which crashed into a river in Taipei, Taiwan's capital, on Wednesday morning. Deputy Foreign Ministry Spokesman Rasm Chaleechan, who is also Deputy Director General of the ministry’s Department of Information, made the confirmation, citing an official report from the Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei. At least 13 people were killed, after the twin-engine short-haul plane, Flight GE235, carrying 58 people, 31 of them were from China, hit an elevated bridge and crashed into the Keelung River at around 10:45am (local time). According to Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration, the incident took place just about 10 minutes after the aircraft, destined for Kinmen Island, took off from Taipei Songshan Airport. Nearly 30 passengers have been reportedly rescued and taken to nearby hospitals. (TNA)