In brief
A CH‑47 Chinook helicopter of the EUFOR crashed during a routine training exercise in northern Bosnia, killing four Italian nationals and injuring 11. EUFOR said the crew was under investigation while the Italian defence ministry confirmed the passengers were soldiers and Red Cross volunteers.
A CH‑47 Chinook helicopter of the European Union Force (EUFOR) crashed during a routine training exercise in the Brcko District, north of Sarajevo, Bosnia‑Herzegovina, on Thursday, killing four Italian nationals and leaving 11 injured.
EUFOR said the helicopter had been operating a training mission when it crashed in a flat field about 180 km (110 mi) north of Sarajevo. The mission maintains the implementation of the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement.
According to a spokesman for Brcko Hospital, who spoke to AFP, 15 people were on board. He said the crash “initially killed three” but a fourth person “succumbed to injuries in the hospital.”
The Italian Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said all people aboard were Italian nationals. He identified the victims as two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers.
EUFOR confirmed that all 11 injured survivors are receiving treatment and are in stable condition, and that a full investigation is underway.
Both Reuters and Associated Press have reported the same casualty figures, noting that four crew members were killed and 11 were injured.
This incident marks the latest in a series of accidents involving EUFOR aircraft in Bosnia, the peacekeeping force that has operated there since 2004.
