Two more bodies recovered from crash site of TransAsia Flight GE235 in Taipei

Two more bodies have been recovered near the scene of the TransAsia air crash in Taipei, taking the number known to have died in the disaster to 42.

One person is still unaccounted for.

Aviation officials said the bodies of the two victims, one from Taiwan and the other from the mainland, were found in the water under the Nanhu Bridge, about 600 metres from the crash site.

Relatives of the last missing person, a mainland tourist, urged rescuers yesterday not to give up efforts to find his body so it could be taken home for burial.

A diver, Chung Lu-chi, died of a ruptured aneurysm on Tuesday, apparently due to the long hours he spent searching in the cold waters, the Taipei Fire Department said.

Meanwhile, relatives of the victims have rejected TransAsia Airways' offer of NT$14.9 million (HK$3.6 million) for each person killed in the disaster. They said the airline should compensate each family on a case-by-case basis.

Liu Chung-chi, a TransAsia Airways representative, said the airline would continue to negotiate with the families to find a solution.

Fifty-eight people were on board the GE235 flight when it lost power, clipped a bridge and crashed into a river shortly after take-off last Wednesday. Fifteen people were injured.

Taiwan's Civil Aeronautics Administration has announced that 10 TransAsia pilots, out of 68 who fly ATR 72-600 aircraft, failed assessments of their flying skills and would not be allowed to fly while they retrain. Nineteen pilots did not take part in the assessments because they were training, on leave or away from Taiwan and they will have to sit the tests before they can fly.

The mainland's Taiwan Affairs Office has asked the island's authorities to improve safety measures for mainland visitors.