An Italian military CH-47 Chinook helicopter, part of the European Union peacekeeping mission EUFOR Althea, crashed on Thursday afternoon in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina. According to local health authorities, the accident caused three deaths and 12 injuries, while the nationalities of the deceased have not yet been announced.
The accident occurred in the village of Gorice, near the town of Brcko. Salih Ibrahimbegović, spokesman for the Brcko Health Center, said three soldiers were killed and 12 others were injured. According to the Associated Press, one of the injured is in critical condition.
Footage from the scene shows the helicopter suffering severe damage, breaking into three pieces after hitting the ground. According to Italian newspaper La Repubblica, footage suggests the crew may have attempted an emergency landing. In a video, the helicopter is seen spinning around and rapidly losing altitude, with both rotors still running.
The Italian Ministry of Defense has confirmed the accident and announced that verifications are being carried out for the condition of the personnel. Meanwhile, EUFOR has admitted that during a routine operation in the Brcko area one of its aircraft was shot down. The European mission has confirmed that there are victims and injured, but has not yet given the final balance. The causes of the accident are under investigation.
The helicopter was part of the Italian contingent deployed to the EUFOR Althea mission, which has been operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2004, with the task of supporting stability and security in the country. Since January, Italy has deployed helicopters from the 4th Army Aviation Regiment “Altair”, based in Bolzano, to this mission, including two CH-47F helicopters.
Currently, the European mission command is led by Italian General Maurizio Fronda.
