A TransAsia flight has crashed following an attempted emergency landing in Taiwan with the loss of more than 40 lives.

The domestic flight came down near Magong Airport on the outlying Penghu Island in typhoon conditions. 

There were a total of 54 passengers and four crew on board flight GE222, with 11 survivors taken to hospital with severe burns according to transport minister Yeh Kuang-Shih

Fire-fighters and other emergency personnel are attempting to rescue those who remain onboard.

The flight took off from Kaohsiung Siaogang Airport around 17:00 and was scheduled to land in Penghu’s Magong Airport at 17:30.

TransAsia Airways is based on Taipei, Taiwan.

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

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