Rescuers scrambled to pull survivors from the submerged wreck of the ATR-72 twin engine turboprop aircraft, which went down shortly after takeoff from the Taiwanese capital.
Fifty eight people were aboard TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 when it veered out of control as it flew to Kinmen, off the coast of the Chinese province of Xiamen.
The toll: 21 confirmed dead, 17 injured, including two on the ground and 22 missing, according to Taiwan's official news agency CNA.
Crews later recovered the black boxes belonging to the aircraft, CNA reported. The flight data recorder and voice data recorder were found in the tail of the plane, Ang Xingzhong, the executive director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council told the news agency.
Plane clips highway
A dashcam video captured the moment the plane hurtled out of control above the city's Nanhu Bridge before crashing into the Keelung River, just after 11 a.m. local time (10 p.m. ET).
Taiwan's official news agency CNA reported that the pilot appeared to try to control the plane as it descended, but the aircraft's wing grazed the overpass, clipping a passing taxi.
The two people in the taxi were injured but in stable condition after being taken to hospital, CNA said.
Rescuers in lifeboats pulled survivors from the water and the wreckage. Some passengers appeared to be wearing lifejackets as they waited their turn to board rescue boats.
The military said it had 165 personnel and numerous vehicles nearby to assist rescue efforts if required.