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TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — A survivor of yesterday's plane crash in Taiwan says he tried to help other passengers who were struggling in the river in Taipei where the plane went down.
The 72-year-old passenger (Huang Jin-sun) told broadcaster ETTV from his hospital bed that he saw people drowning.
He also says he suspected trouble with the flight, right after it took off. And he says right after he warned the woman next to him to hold on to the seat and cover her head, the plane went down.
At least 32 people were killed and 15 were injured. Divers have been searching for the remaining 11 people on board, including the two pilots.
The plane's black boxes have been found.
Video images captured on car dashboard cameras appear to show the left engine's propeller at a standstill as the plane turned sharply, its wings going vertical, and clipping a highway bridge before plunging into the river.
Moments earlier, according to a Taiwanese official, one of the pilots radioed "Mayday, mayday, engine flameout."
%@AP Links
128-r-13-(Sound of one of the aircraft's pilots speaking by radio to control tower, in audio recording from the cockpit, obtained by local TV news station TVBS from Taiwan's Civil Aeronuatics Administration)--Sound of one of the aircraft's pilots speaking from the cockpit by radio saying "Mayday Mayday, engine flame out," to the airport's control tower, followed by a voice from the control tower trying to regain communication. COURTESY: TVBS ((on-air credit)) (5 Feb 2015)
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092-c-06-(Ralph Jennings, correspondent)-"contact they had"-Correspondent Ralph Jennings reports Taiwanese aviation officials confirm an audio recording of the pilot's last words offer some clue about the possible cause of the crash -- flames that may have triggered the shutdown of one engine. (5 Feb 2015)
<<CUT *092 (02/05/15)££ 00:06 "contact they had"
APPHOTO XWS105: Emergency teams break down pieces of wreckage at the site of a commercial plane crash in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. TransAsia Airways Flight 235 with 58 people aboard clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and crashed into a river in the island's capital of Taipei on Wednesday morning. (AP Photo/Wally Santana) (5 Feb 2015)
<<APPHOTO XWS105 (02/05/15)££
APPHOTO TPE802: A grieving relative of a victim in the recent commercial plane crash is led by volunteers at a funeral hall in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. TransAsia Airways Flight 235, with 58 people aboard, clipped a bridge shortly after takeoff and crashed into a river in the island's capital of Taipei on Wednesday morning. (AP Photo) TAIWAN OUT (5 Feb 2015)
<<APPHOTO TPE802 (02/05/15)££
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