Taipei: Taiwan's chief of the general staff and seven others were killed in an air force helicopter crash on Thursday morning, the defence ministry said.
Five people survived the crash in mountains outside the capital.
As chief of the general staff, Gen. Shen Yi-ming was responsible for overseeing the island's defence against China, which threatens to use military force to annex what it considers its own territory.
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The helicopter was flying from Taipei to the northeastern city of Ilan for a new year's activity when it crashed.
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