Four people linked to the European Union Force in Bosnia (EUFOR) have died after an Italian military helicopter crashed during a training exercise in the Brcko region on Thursday. EUFOR said the CH-47 Chinook went down about 180km (110 miles) north of the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo.
EUFOR said 11 people were hurt and are receiving treatment, with their condition described as stable. The Italian government said everyone aboard was an Italian national. According to Italy’s defence ministry, the dead were two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers.
Victims and injuries from the Brcko crash
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed condolences to the families of those who died, and to the wider defence establishment’s staff. He spoke of immense grief at the loss.
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Bosnian media published photos of the wreckage, showing the aircraft lying on its side in a flat field. A spokesman for Brcko hospital told AFP that 15 people were on board and that the impact initially killed three. Twelve people were taken to the hospital, where a fourth person died of injuries.
EUFOR investigation and mission background
EUFOR said in a statement that it is conducting a full and thorough investigation. It added that more information would be released once it had been verified and when appropriate.
EUFOR has between 1,000 and 1,500 personnel and has operated in Bosnia since 2004. It replaced a NATO peacekeeping force that had been in the country since the Bosnian War ended in 1995. The mission oversees implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the three-year war.
