A helicopter carrying the Philippine national police chief, two other generals and five other people crashed Thursday, injuring those on board, officials said.

Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, his companions and the flight crew were taken to a hospital, officials said. The crash happened in San Pedro city in Laguna province south of Manila after the group met with local police officials.

Regional spokeswoman Lt. Col. Chit Gaoiran told DZMM radio network that the chopper took off in a dusty police compound then hit a power cable and crashed on a dirt road near houses.

Gamboa temporarily took over the national police force in October after his predecessor retired early after being linked to illegal drugs.

The 200,000-strong police force has enforced President Rodrigo Duterte's anti-drug crackdown that has left thousands of mostly petty drug suspects dead in a bloody campaign that has alarmed Western governments and human rights groups since he took office in mid-2016.

Duterte formally designated Gamboa as the chief of police force last month.