Taipei, Jan 2 (AFP/APP): Taiwanese rescuers were searching for the chief of military staff and two major generals who went missing after a helicopter crash landed Thursday, the defence ministry said. The UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter carrying 13 people including chief of general staff General Shen Yi-ming made the crash landing in the mountains near Taipei for unknown reasons, it said in a statement. The ministry said ten people have been found alive while rescuers were searching for Shen, 62, and two others that were still missing. They were on a routine mission to visit soldiers in the northeast Yilan county ahead of the lunar new year. Air force commander Hsiung Hou-chi said the aircraft disappeared from radar less than 15 minutes after taking off and the ministry has set up a taskforce to investigate the incident. “The search and rescue operation continues… We are investigating whether (the cause) was environmental or mechanical… the aircraft’s condition is not ideal,” Hsiung told reporters. “We hope everyone can be safe and we should know the results this afternoon,” he said, adding that the ministry has dispatched ground troops and rescue helicopters for the operation. An air force official said some on board … Continue reading Taiwan’s military chief of staff missing after helicopter crash