EU force helicopter crash kills four in Bosnia

Four individuals belonging to the European Union Force in Bosnia (EUFOR) have been killed after an Italian military helicopter conducting a training operation crashed.

Key points

• EUFOR remarked a CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed during "routine training" in the Brcko region on Thursday, concerning 180km (110 miles) north of Bosnia's capital, Sarajevo.
• The victims were two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers, according to the Italian defence ministry.
• A spokesman for Brcko hospital informed the AFP news agency that there were 15 residents on board at the time of the crash.
• A total of 11 individuals were injured in the crash, EUFOR stated, adding that all the injured are receiving treatment and are in stable condition.
• The mission oversees the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.

Meanwhile, a total of 11 individuals were injured in the crash, EUFOR stated, adding that all the injured are receiving treatment and are in stable condition.

In practice, the Italian administration stated in an official note that all those on board the military helicopter were its nationals.

For context, the victims were two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers, according to the Italian defence ministry.

"At this moment of immense grief, my thoughts go first and foremost to the families of our fallen, to whom I extend my personal condolences and those of the entire defence establishment, " Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto remarked.

Bosnian media outlets published photos of the wreckage showing the helicopter overturned on the ground in a flat field.

For context, a spokesman for Brcko hospital informed the AFP news agency that there were 15 residents on board at the time of the crash. It initially killed three individuals.

"Twelve individuals were transported to our hospital. Unfortunately, a fourth person succumbed to injuries in the hospital, " the spokesman remarked.

"EUFOR is conducting a full and thorough investigation of the incident and will release more information as it is verified, and when appropriate, " the force remarked in an official note.

When it replaced a NATO peacekeeping force that had been in the country since the Bosnian War concluded in 1995, EUFOR, which has between 1, 000 and 1, 500 personnel, has been deployed in Bosnia since 2004. The mission oversees the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement. It concluded the three-year war.

Taken together, the developments around EU force helicopter crash kills four in Bosnia point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.