An Italian CH-47 Chinook helicopter serving with the EU peacekeeping mission crashed during routine training in northern Bosnia, killing four people and injuring 11 others.
SARAJEVO: Four Italian nationals were killed and 11 others injured after an Italian military helicopter serving with the European Union peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina crashed during a routine training operation on Thursday, October 29.
The CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed near the village of Gorice in the Brcko District of northern Bosnia, approximately 180 kilometres north of the capital, Sarajevo.
A total of 15 people were aboard the aircraft when the accident occurred. Three people initially died at the crash site, while a fourth victim later succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
The victims included two members of the Italian Army and two members of the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps.
The 11 injured personnel were transported to medical facilities for treatment. All were reported to be in stable condition, with some receiving further medical care in Tuzla.
Images from the crash site showed the military transport helicopter overturned and severely damaged in an open field.
Emergency response teams from Bosnia and Herzegovina and EUFOR personnel assisted in recovering those aboard and transporting the injured to hospitals.
The European Union Force (EUFOR) confirmed that the helicopter was participating in a routine mission and announced a comprehensive investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the crash.
No civilian injuries or damage to civilian infrastructure, property or vehicles were reported.
The aircraft was operating under Operation Althea, the European Union’s military peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The operation began in 2004 after taking over from NATO forces and is responsible for supporting the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the Bosnian War.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed condolences to the victims’ families, while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also acknowledged the loss.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the accident. No official conclusion about what caused the helicopter to crash has been announced.
