Taiwan plane crash
Television footage of the plane crash in Taiwan.Twitter

The TransAsia Airways flight that crashed into a Taipei river in Taiwan on Wednesday killed at least 31 of the 58 people on board, while 12 remained unaccounted for on Thursday morning. 

The plane crash landed in Keelung River in Taipei after it hit an elevated bridge, the dramatic footage of which was captured on camera by vehicles moving on the bridge. 

15 people were rescued on Wednesday. 

The bodies of the pilot Liao Chien-tsung, co-pilot Liu Tzu-chung, and flight engineer Hung Ping-chung were retrieved from the river on Wednesday, according to Focus Taiwan News Channel

There were 31 Chinese passengers on board, and China has decided to join in the probe to determine the cause of the crash. 

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered officials to gather accurate information on the crash, Xinhua reported. 

The plane had taken off from the Taipei Songshan Airport and was headed to Kinmen Airport off the coast of southeastern China.

Minutes after take-off, a Mayday call was recorded from the cockpit of the plane. 

"GE235. Mayday, mayday. Engine flameout", a male voice shouted suggesting an engine failure, just before the plane went down. 

This is the second fatal crash involving the domestic TransAsia Airways in a matter of months. Last July, 48 people were killed when a TransAsia Airways plane crashed in Taiwan's Penghu archipelago.