Taiwan's chief of general staff killed in chopper crash - defence ministry
Chief of general staff General Shen Yi-ming was killed after the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter crashed in mountains near Taipei, according to the defence ministry.
File Photo. A Taiwan's UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies past Taiwan's national flag during the commissioning ceremony in Taoyuan city, northern Taiwan, Tuesday, July 17, 2018.
Taiwan's top military officer and seven others died after a helicopter crash-landed in the mountains on Thursday, the defence ministry said.
Chief of general staff General Shen Yi-ming was killed after the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter crashed in mountains near Taipei, according to defence ministry spokesman Shih Shun-wen. Five others have been rescued.
Shen, 62, and several top military officials were on a routine mission to visit soldiers in the northeast Yilan county ahead of the lunar new year later this month.
Earlier, the official Central News Agency reported Yi-ming had been rescued, citing rescue services.
As chief of the general staff, Shen was responsible for overseeing the island's defence against China, which threatens to use military force to annex what it considers its own territory.
The crash came a week before a key election on January 11 when the democratic island is set to hold presidential and parliamentary elections.
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