TransAsia suspends 32 flights, organises funerals for victims

Taipei, Feb 9: Taiwan's TransAsia Airways suspended 32 flights Monday adding to the 90 flights cut at the weekend, to re-train and re-examine their pilots after last week's accident in which at least 40 people died, the company said.

TransAsia also organised the first of the two religious services and a funeral Monday for the victims of the accident that occurred in Taipei Wednesday and was probably due to a combination of engine failure and pilot error.

Upon noticing the fault in the twin-engine ATR 72-600 airplane as it took off Wednesday, the pilots of flight GE235, en route from Taipei to Kinmen from Taipei, turned off the other engine which did not seem to have any mechanical defects, according to the preliminary results of the black box analysis released by officials.

Rescue operations for the three missing persons who apparently fell into the Keelung river where the plane crashed, continued despite the cold and lack of visibility in the turbulent waters.

The TransAsia directors will hold a meeting Tuesday with the 15 survivors or their representatives and with the families of the dead or missing passengers, to discuss the details regarding compensation after the initial meeting with the victims' relatives Sunday.

TransAsia pilots who fail the test set by the Civil Aviation Administration will not be allowed to fly the Franco-Italian turboprop planes like the one in the accident.

--IANS/EFE

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