Focus Taiwan
Date: 2020/01/02
By: Ko Lin

Taipei, Jan. 2 (CNA) The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) on Thursday expressed its condolences to the families of the eight people, including Taiwan's armed forces top officer, who died in a military helicopter crash in New Taipei earlier in the day.

"We are deeply saddened by this morning's tragic helicopter crash, which took the lives of eight passengers, including Chief of the General Staff General Shen Yi-Ming," the AIT said in a statement.

Shen, 62, along with 12 other military personnel, was traveling on the UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter to a military base in Dong'ao, Yilan County, for a pre-Lunar New Year inspection, when the aircraft crashed in the mountains of Wulai, killing eight of the people on board. The other five were later pulled alive from the wreckage and taken to hospital.

In the AIT's message on its website, it expressed wishes for the swift recovery of the survivors and extended condolences to the relatives of those who died.    [FULL  STORY]