Taiwan pays homage to TransAsia plane crash victims

Flags across Taiwan flew at half mast Tuesday to pay homage to the 40 people killed in the TransAsia GE235 plane crash last week, as divers continue to battle cold weather to find the last three people missing. Rescue authorities say that only a small number of divers were searching the cold river after dozens called in sick. The TransAais Airways Flight GE235 with 53 passengers and five crew on board crashed Wednesday last week shortly after take-off from Songshan airport in Taipei.

In order to mourn TransAsia Airways GE-235, all government units and schools will fly flags at half mast on Tuesday.

Taiwanese Government spokesman

Investigators are still trying to establish what caused the crash, but initial reports from the black boxes found the right engine had “flamed out” about two minutes after take-off. Analysts have said the pilots may have caused the crash by turning off the wrong engine. TransAsia has announced cancellations of more than 120 flights by Tuesday - all domestic - as all its 71 ATR turboprop pilots were recalled for retraining following the crash. The last time Taiwan lowered its flags was following another TransAsia plane crash last July that killed 48 of the 58 people on board and in the wake of a deadly gas mains explosion that claimed 30 lives and left more than 300 injured the same month.

Asia-Pacific GE235