Chinook crash in Bosnia kills four Italian nationals
All personnel aboard the helicopter were Italian, with two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers among the dead.
By William Turner ·
Four people died when an Italian military CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed in the Brcko region of Bosnia on Thursday. The aircraft was conducting routine training operations for the European Union Force in Bosnia, or EUFOR, when it went down approximately 180 kilometers north of Sarajevo.
Eleven others sustained injuries in the accident. EUFOR confirmed that all injured individuals are currently receiving medical treatment and remain in stable condition. The Italian government stated that every person on board the helicopter was an Italian national.
The Italian defence ministry identified the four victims as two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. He stated, "At this moment of immense grief, my thoughts go first and foremost to the families of our fallen, to whom I extend my personal condolences and those of the entire defence establishment."
Local media published images of the wreckage, showing the helicopter overturned in a flat field. A spokesman for the Brcko hospital told the AFP news agency that 15 people were on board at the time of the crash. Three people died at the scene, while a fourth person succumbed to injuries at the hospital. Twelve injured individuals were transported to that facility.
EUFOR is currently conducting a full investigation into the incident. The force said it will release more information once details are verified and deemed appropriate for public release.
EUFOR has been deployed in Bosnia since 2004, replacing a NATO peacekeeping force that had been present since 1995. The mission oversees the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. The force currently maintains a deployment of between 1,000 and 1,500 personnel in the country.
