Taiwan military helicopter crash kills two

TAIPEI -- A military helicopter crashed at an airbase in Hsinchu in northern Taiwan on Thursday afternoon, killing the pilot and co-pilot, a military source said.

The helicopter had returned from a drill to the base before the accident happened, the military source said in a press release.

A special task force has been launched to investigate the cause of the accident, the statement said.

The two soldiers were rushed to hospital but died later, it added.

This has been the second major accident in the island's military recently. A marine craft overturned during an exercise earlier this month, causing two deaths and injuring one.