Italian Chinook on EU peacekeeping mission crashes in Bosnia, killing four
Four people were killed and 11 injured when an Italian military CH-47 Chinook helicopter serving with the European Union force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUFOR) crashed during a routine training flight in the Brcko area on Thursday. All 15 people on board were Italian.
An Italian Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter assigned to EUFOR, the European Union's peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, crashed on Thursday, 29 October, during what the force called "routine training" in the Brcko district, about 180 km north of Sarajevo. Photos published by Bosnian media showed the aircraft lying overturned in a flat field.
There were 15 people on board, all Italian nationals, according to the Italian government. Three died at the scene and a fourth died later in hospital, a spokesman for Brcko hospital told AFP. Italy's defence ministry said the victims were two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers. EUFOR said the 11 injured were being treated and were in a stable condition.
"At this moment of immense grief, my thoughts go first and foremost to the families of our fallen," Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said. EUFOR said it had opened a full investigation and would release more information once it is verified; no cause has been given.
EUFOR, which has between 1,000 and 1,500 personnel, has been deployed in Bosnia since 2004, when it took over from a NATO force present since the end of the 1992-95 war. Its task is to support the Dayton Peace Agreement. Romania is among the countries that contribute troops to the mission.