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Four Italian servicemen killed as EU CH-47 helicopter crashes in Bosnia
An Italian Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter serving with the EU’s Althea mission crashed near the village of Gorice in Brčko District; four of the 15 people on board were killed and 11 were injured.
An Italian Army CH-47F Chinook military helicopter carrying out tasks as part of the EU’s Althea mission (EUFOR) crashed in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The crash occurred at around 4 p.m. local time on October 29 near the village of Gorice in Brčko District, in the country’s northeast.
According to Italy’s Ministry of Defence, 15 people were on board: four were killed and 11 were injured. The injured were taken to hospitals in Brčko and Tuzla, and their lives are not in danger.
Army and Red Cross personnel among those killed
Those killed were two Italian Army sergeants, Simone Ruggia and Claudio Marchesi, and two members of the Military Corps of Italian Red Cross Volunteers: Lieutenant Franco Adriano Dzekillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci. Initial reports said that three people had been killed and 12 injured.
The cause of the crash has not yet been established. EUFOR said an investigation into all the circumstances of the incident had begun.
Witnesses say helicopter spun before crashing
Witnesses said the helicopter was flying at a low altitude and turned several times in the air before the crash. Unofficial footage from the scene, which has not been confirmed, appears to show the aircraft losing control and falling.
Italy declares day of mourning
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said events marking Armed Forces Day on November 4 would be replaced by a day of mourning. He also said he would travel to Bosnia with military doctors to visit the injured. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her condolences to the families of those killed.
The helicopter was one of two Italian Chinooks deployed to the EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which has been operating since 2004.
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