A helicopter crashed in a mountainous area near the capital Taipei, eight passengers aboard the helicopter died including Taiwan’s top military official, the defence ministry said

The causes for the crash, in the wake of a forced landing, were unexplained, the military said in a statement, adding that the chief of general staff, Air Force General Shen Yi-ming, had died, while five of the 13 aboard survived.

Shen, who took up his post in July, was Taiwan’s highest-ranking general to die in the line of duty, President Tsai Ing-wen said, adding that she had asked the defense minister to launch an investigation.

“We must find out the reason for the incident,” she told reporters in the northeastern county of Yilan, where the helicopter had been heading after setting out from Taipei