Both engines of the TransAsia Airways plane that smashed into a bridge and then crashed into a river had failed, investigators have revealed.

One of the engines of the ATR 71-600 went idle just 37 seconds after take-off, before the aircraft dropped out of the sky, narrowly avoiding apartment buildings and leaving at least 35 people dead.

Investigators believe the pilots may have switched off the other engine so they could be restarted together, but Flight 235 crashed before that could happen.

According to Taiwan's Vice President, Wu Den-yih, the flight crew may have deliberately steered away from buildings to prevent further loss of life.

He said: "In his final moments, (the pilot) still wanted to control the plane to avoid harming residents in the housing communities."

When Liao Chien-tsung's body was found, he was still clutching the joystick, which officials believe is proof "he was still trying to save the aircraft until the last minute".

The crash, earlier this week, was captured on a car's dashboard camera.

Thomas Wang, director of the Aviation Safety Council, said: "Based on the data we have so far we can see that for a period of time both engines showed no thrust."

Although the pilot had announced that the right engine "flamed out" - meaning the fuel supply was interrupted - aviation analysts believe this was not the case.

Some 58 people were on board the plane, which had taken off from Songshan airport in Taipei. Fifteen people managed to get out alive.

A further eight passengers remain unaccounted for, with a team of 190 divers searching the muddy waters of the Keelung River.

The full investigation into the crash is expected to take 12 months, but a preliminary report will be published within 30 days.