Taiwanese Chief of the General Staff Shen Yi-ming was among the eight people who were killed when an army chopper attempted an emergency landing in the mountains, a senior military official said.

Shen's death was announced by Air Force Commander-in-Chief General Hsiung Hou-chi. Shen had earlier been declared missing after an UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, carrying 13 senior military officials, crash-landed at Tonghou Creek in the nation's mountainous Wulai District on Thursday.

The chopper took off from Songshan Air Base outside Taipei around 7:54am local time and was heading for another base in Yilan District, where Shen was planning to participate in an inspection ahead of the Chinese New Year.

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The aircraft disappeared from the radar around 8:07am and attempted an emergency landing, the military said. Eight people were killed in the crash and five survived.

It is unclear what caused the disaster. Rescuers are currently working at the scene.

General Shen had become chief of the general staff last July, after having served three years as Air Force commander.

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