TAIPEI, Taiwan, May 25, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- A China Airlines flight to Hong Kong with more than 200 people on board has been reported missing for nearly an hour Saturday afternoon in the Taiwan Strait, an official said.
Flight C1611 took off about 3:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) from Taipei's international airport and was reported missing near about 4:15 p.m. (0815 GMT) near Penghu, a group of islands off Taiwan's western coast, Chuang Suo-hang, a government spokesman.
About 220 passengers and crew were on the Boeing 747, TVBS cable news reported.
China Airlines, Taiwan's biggest airline, did not immediately comment on the report. But the airline has joined the government in forming an emergency taskforce to search for the missing plane, Chuang said. Taiwan's air force and coast guard were looking for the aircraft, he said.
Due to a series of crashes in the 1990s, China Airlines used to be considered one of the world's most dangerous airlines. But in recent years, the carrier has reshuffled its board and has put a greater emphasis on safety.
The last known fatal China Airlines accident was in 1999 when a jetliner flipped over and burst into flames during a crash landing in Hong Kong, killing three people.
According to the aviation safety website, Airsafe.com, China Airlines has had nine fatal accidents since 1970.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
I don't like the sound of this.