BRCKO: An Italian military helicopter crashed during a European Union peacekeeping deployment in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, killing four people and injuring 11, Italy’s defence ministry said.
The CH-47 Chinook came down in the Gorice area near Brcko during routine training, the European Union Force (EUFOR) said. Investigators are examining the circumstances and have not established a cause.
Two of those killed belonged to the Italian Army and two served with the Italian Red Cross’s Volunteer Military Corps. There were 15 people aboard.
The Red Cross identified its members as Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo, a nurse, and Sergeant Laura Procacci, a rescuer. Both were serving with the European mission.
A third member of their medical evacuation team was injured. The organisation said it was supporting the bereaved families and monitoring the condition of its colleague.
Italy’s defence ministry reported that none of the injured was in a life-threatening condition. It also ordered an Italian medical team to provide additional assistance.
Emergency services from Bosnia and Herzegovina and EUFOR personnel responded to the crash and transported survivors to medical facilities. EUFOR confirmed that the incident caused no civilian injuries or damage to civilian property or infrastructure.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed condolences to the victims’ families and solidarity with the injured. “There are no words capable of easing such a profound loss,” he said.
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Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also offered condolences and expressed the Italian government’s support for the families and personnel involved in the mission.
The EU-led Operation Althea, which supports security in Bosnia and Herzegovina, deployed the aircraft to the region.
Operating under a United Nations Security Council mandate, the mission oversees military provisions of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the country’s 1992–1995 war. It began operating in 2004.
EUFOR said it would release further information as investigators verified the facts surrounding the crash.
(With additional input from the Associated Press)
