TransAsia Flight 235 Crash Memorial: Flags At Half-Mast, Ceremony And Funeral For Victims

Families of the 40 victims of the TransAsia Airways crash attended a memorial ceremony held by the airlines on Tuesday morning. An official one-hour funeral service was held later that day, attended by President Ma Ying-jeou, Legislature President Wang Jin-pyng and Premier Mao Chi-kuo. "In order to mourn TransAsia Airways Flight 235, all government units and schools will fly flags at half-mast on Tuesday," the government said on Tuesday.

President Ma gave his condolences to the families at the funeral, according to Taiwanese Central News Agency, and the government officials and TransAsia airline executives bowed in respect to the deceased. The most recent half-mast in Taiwan was in August to commemorate two incidents – a gas explosion killing 28 and another TransAsia ATR 72 plane crash killing 48, both in July.

The TransAsia Flight 235 crashed on Feb. 4 over suspected engine stalls, and 40 of the 58 on board have been confirmed dead. 15 survived, and three were still missing as of Tuesday. Twenty-six of the 40 people killed were mainland tourists, as were two of the missing three. Search teams are still trying to find the missing people.

The bodies of three victims were repatriated back to Xiamen on Monday, on the wishes of relatives to bury the victims in their homeland, and two more would be flown back later on Tuesday. Most of the other relatives of the mainland Chinese victims have agreed to cremate the deceased in Taipei, according to South China Morning Post.

TransAsia pilots in the meantime have had to undergo mandatory proficiency tests following the crash, after preliminary investigations suggested that the pilot on board the crashed plane had incorrectly shut down the wrong engine when he encountered a problem with the other engine. The airline has also been ordered to conduct extra-stringent checks on its remaining aircrafts. The crash on Wednesday would have been the airline’s second fatal accident in seven months, and its fifth since 1995.