Senior military official takes his own life as graft probe progresses

Zhang Yang, a senior military officer, committed suicide on Thursday morning amid a graft probe, the Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday.

Zhang, 66, a former member of the Central Military Commission and former head of its Political Work Department, hanged himself at home during the ongoing investigation, the ministry said in a news release.

He has become the first member of the CMC, the country's top military authority, and the highest-ranking officer with the People's Liberation Army to have taken his own life.