A plane making a second landing attempt in stormy weather has crashed at an airport on a small Taiwanese island, killing 51 people and injuring seven, fire officials said.

Taiwan had been battered by Typhoon Matmo and the Central Weather Bureau was advising of heavy rain through the evening, even though the centre of the storm was over mainland China.

The flight was heading from the capital Taipei to the island of Penghu, halfway between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan. Pictures from the airport showed a handful of firefighters using torches to look at wreckage in the darkness.

Penghu is a lightly populated island that averages about two flights a day from Taipei.

Taiwan's Central News Agency cites the Civil Aviation Administration as saying the flight carried 54 passengers and four flight crew and was operated by a Taiwanese airline, TransAsia Airways.

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