TAIPEI: A military helicopter with six people on board was missing after taking off from Orquideas island, east of Taiwan, the Interior Ministry said on Tuesday.
The US-made "Black Hawk" helicopter was an emergency medical flight and is feared to have crashed in the Pacific Ocean on Monday night, reports Efe news.
The helicopter arrived at Orquideas from the city of Taitung, located in the southeast of Taiwan, at 11.09 p.m., and took off at 11.48 p.m., but lost contact three minutes later.
Witnesses, including relatives of some of those on board, said the helicopter took off and suddenly fell into the sea, according to local media reports.
Rescue operations were ongoing.