More than 40 people are feared dead after a TransAsia flight crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing in Taiwan.

The passenger plane came down in typhoon conditions while attempting to land at Magong Airport on the outlying Penghu Island.

There were a total of 54 passengers and four crew on board flight GE222.

The ATR 72 turboprop aircraft departed from the southern municipality of Kaohsiung at 17:43 local time.

It lost contact with controllers at 19:06.

TransAsia Airways general manager Hsu Yi-Tsung said no effort would be spared in the rescue operation.

The airline also confirmed it would transport relatives of passengers on the flight to Magong on this morning.

Low-cost carrier TransAsia Airways is based in Taipei, Taiwan.

Largely domestically focused, the airline has in recent years expanded internationally.

Penghu’s Magong Airport is a short flight from the mainland