Taiwanese TV earlier reported that a mortuary attendant at the airport said he had dealt with six bodies from the crashed 747. The captain of the jet reported hitting an object on the take-off run, the airline says.
Rescue operations are currently in progress and have been for some time.
One member of the cabin crew has been taken to hospital and none of the cockpit staff was among the injured, the spokesman said. Dr TL Huang said 11 of those admitted were foreigners, but he said he could not yet provide their nationalities. The airport has now been closed off and all flights cancelled while emergency services sift through the wreckage.