![]() ![]() The field triage used at the scene was the simple triage and rapid treatment method. Because of the pressing urgency to rescue, many rescue staff from the fire department took the risk to swim across the river’s strong current, and roughly three of them managed to arrive at the aircraft wreckage to reach the injured, reassure them, and collect relevant information. The rescue could not start immediately because the rescue staff from the fire department did not have the appropriate equipment with them. However, upon the timely arrival of the first batch of rescue staff, it was found that the aircraft crashed into the river. At 11:25 a.m., another hospital was instructed to dispatch its staff to the site for further support. The Department of Health in Taipei City also carried out mass casualty/trauma event protocols upon notification and dispatched medical staff and ambulance from three nearby hospitals to the site to support the emergency rescue. Upon notification at 10:55 a.m., seven fire brigades were engaged to send their units (with water bikes, boats, and rafts) for the rescue operation, and the chief of the corresponding district headquarter was informed to coordinate the rescue efforts and set up a field triage and medical station onsite. Afterward, at approximately 10:55 a.m., the aircraft crashed into the Keelung River situated at the borders of the Nangang District of Taipei City, Neihu District of Taipei City, and Xizhi District of New Taipei City. The aircraft first avoided a building and then rolled 90 degrees anticlockwise, with the left wing striking a taxi on a viaduct (causing two people to be injured). Shortly after take-off, at 10:53 a.m., the flight lost contact after sending a distress signal to air traffic control. (UTC+8), carrying 58 people in total: 53 passengers (48 adults and five children) and five cabin crew members. TransAsia Airways Flight 235 was a domestic flight from Taipei Songshan Airport to Kinmen Shangyi Airport. It is the first aircraft incident in Taiwanese history to have occurred at a river therefore, the handling of this incident warrants much discussion. The crash of TransAsia Airways Flight 235 into the Keelung River in 2015 is one of them. ![]() Since the founding of Taiwan’s first private airline in 1951, it has been through many different commercial aircraft incidents. However, while we see the prosperity of such a busy air transport system, aviation incidents remain a concern for Taiwanese people. The number of passengers for domestic flights has reached 11.59 million per year, and it is anticipated that air traffic will increase further in the future. In 2018, the number of passengers in all airports in Taiwan was at a high of 69.8 million per year, which is 4.43% higher than the previous year. Whether traveling to other countries or to domestic islands in Taiwan, air transport is an indispensable way to travel conveniently and quickly. Taiwan is an island situated in East Asia and is a hub for air and sea transport. By reviewing the response, we hope we can improve our system for the challenges in the future. Third, the role of the disaster medical assistant team (DMAT) in Taiwan should be re-evaluated, including various protocols and standard procedures for dispatch, task, cooperation, staff training and logistics. Second, the airplane crashed right on the border between two cities, the “command and communication” issue was also confused in the beginning. Responders could not reach the casualties and provide care initially due to lack of proper equipment needed to cross the river. ![]() It was much more like a river rescue than an aircraft crash. First, compared to previous aircraft crash accidents in Taiwan, the search and rescue process was much more difficult because the airplane had fallen into the middle of a river. The accident revealed several important issues regarding disaster medical response in Taiwan. Among 27 casualties, 10 experienced traumatic out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and the remaining 17 had traumatic injuries or hypothermia. All of them were sent by ambulances of fire departments. Twenty-seven casualties were sent to eight nearby hospitals. There were 53 passengers and five crew members on board, however, only 15 of them survived. TransAsia Airways Flight 235 was a domestic flight that crashed into the Keelung River on February 4, 2015, about several minutes after take-off from Taipei Songshan Airport. ![]()
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