TransAsia flight 235 crash: 'Last communication' from pilot 'Mayday Mayday engine flameout'

The flight was carrying 58 people when it crashed into the Keelung River

The last communication from one of the TransAsia flight 235’s pilots was "Mayday Mayday engine flameout", according to an air traffic control recording on liveatc.net.

The ATR 72 prop-jet aircraft, carrying 58 people, was flying on its side, with one wing scraping past Taiwan's National Freeway No. 1 just seconds before it plunged into the Keelung River, yards from the shore, local television images showed.

At least 15 people have died and more than 16 have been injured. Rescuers are working to free those still trapped in the plane’s fuselage. As many as 28 people however appeared to have escaped from the wreckage.

Live blog: TransAsia flight 235 crash updates

A flameout is usually caused by an interruption of the fuel supply to the engine or when there is faulty combustion, resulting in an engine failure. Twin-engined aircraft, however, are usually able to keep flying even when one engine has failed.

Reports of the last communication have not been independently verified by officials.

It is the airline's second French-Italian-built ATR 72 to crash in the past year. TransAsia is Taiwan's third-largest carrier. One of its ATR 72-500 planes crashed while trying to land at Penghu Island last July, killing 48 of the 58 passengers and crew on board.

Additional reporting by agencies