China Airlines flight CI 611 with 225 people on board crashed into the sea near Penghu yesterday afternoon after taking off from Taipei en route to Hong Kong.
\nThe search-and-rescue effort was still underway and no survivors had been discovered as of press time last night. More than 100 bodies have been spotted, according to a China Airlines spokesman.
\nThe cause of the crash is still under investigation.
\nThe Boeing 747-200, which took off from CKS International Airport at 3:08pm, disappeared from radar screens at around 3:30pm, when it was about 19km from Makung city, officials said.
\nAccording to China Airlines' records, the plane was carrying 206 passengers, three of whom were infants, and 19 crew members.
\nAll 19 crew members as well as 190 passengers on board were Taiwanese, including two United Daily News reporters and a former legislator.
\nIn addition to 14 Hong Kong, Macau and Chinese residents, foreign passengers also included one Singaporean, identified as Sim Yong-joo, and one Swiss, identified as Luigi Heer.
\nThe air force and coast guard sent ships and helicopters to search for the plane as soon as the accident was reported, with the first body found at about 6:14pm around the port of Chihkan, located north of Penghu Island.
\nThe Executive Yuan established an emergency command center headed by Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Lin-san (
PHOTO: CHANG CHIA-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
At the start of their first-ever virtual World Health Assembly (WHA), WHO member states agreed to delay a controversial discussion on granting Taiwan observer status until later in the year. The agreement came after WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus pledged to launch an independent probe to review the coronavirus pandemic response as soon as possible, and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) announced that China would provide US$2 billion over two years to fight the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout. Despite the US and other members stepping up pressure in recent days, the WHA unanimously agreed to postpone a decision on observer
Another automatic 30-day visa extension for foreigners who entered Taiwan on or before March 21 this year has been granted, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) announced yesterday during the Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) daily news briefing. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had granted an initial automatic 30-day visa extension on March 21 for foreigners who entered Taiwan on or before that date with a visa waiver, visitor’s visa or landing visa — and another on April 17, as part of tightened border control measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Many foreigners who arrived in Taiwan on holidays or for
PROTEST SENT: Despite a wave of international support Taiwan did not receive an invite, which means that it and all WHO members would lose out, the two ministers said Taiwan deeply regrets and is very dissatisfied that it was not invited to attend the annual World Health Assembly (WHA), which began a virtual meeting yesterday, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said. During the Central Epidemic Command Center’s daily news conference, Chen, who heads the center, said that as of 2pm, Taiwan had not received an invitation to the meeting, which was to begin at 6pm Taiwan time. “We put in our efforts [to get invited] up until the last moment, but it seems that we are unlikely to be invited,
US lawmakers and officials are crafting proposals to push US companies to move operations or key suppliers out of China that include tax breaks, new rules and carefully structured subsidies. Interviews with a dozen current and former government officials, industry executives and members of Congress show widespread discussions underway — including the idea of a “reshoring fund” originally stocked with US$25 billion — to encourage US companies to drastically revamp their relationship with China. US President Donald Trump has long pledged to bring manufacturing back from overseas, but the spread of COVID-19 and related concerns about US medical and food supply chains
RSS