Four Italian Military Personnel Killed, 11 Injured in Helicopter Crash in Bosnia

By Staff, Agencies

Four Italian military personnel were killed and 11 others injured after an Italian army helicopter crashed in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday, according to Italian news agency ANSA, citing the Italian Defense Ministry.

The Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopter was carrying 15 people as part of the European Union’s EUFOR Althea peacekeeping mission when it crashed near the village of Gorice in the Brcko district.

The victims were identified as Italian army Sergeants Simone Ruggia and Claudio Marchesi, Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo, and Sergeant Laura Procacci, a member of the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps.

The Defense Ministry said none of the injured personnel was in life-threatening condition. It added that a medical team had been dispatched from Italy to provide assistance.

EUFOR confirmed that the helicopter was carrying out a routine training exercise when the crash occurred, adding that a full investigation would be launched to establish the circumstances and cause of the accident.