EUFOR Helicopter Crashes Near Brčko: Four Italians Killed, and the Investigation Has Yet to Say Why

Four people were killed and 11 injured when a military helicopter of the EUFOR mission crashed in the village of Gorice near Brčko, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All the victims are Italian citizens: two members of the Italian armed forces and two members of the Italian military Red Cross. According to the latest information from EUFOR, all the injured are in stable condition.

The aircraft was a CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter carrying 15 people in total. The Italian aviation detachment from the 4th "Altair" Regiment has been part of EUFOR since January this year and uses AB-205 and CH-47F helicopters for transport, medical evacuation and extraction. The mission said the accident happened during a routine operation.

Eyewitnesses say the helicopter was flying low before the crash and spun around its own axis several times. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that, according to initial information, the problem may have occurred as the helicopter was lifting off the ground during a military exercise. Italian radio station RTL 102.5 reported that the aircraft may have had a technical problem on take-off, but that remains unconfirmed. EUFOR is investigating, and the cause has not been officially established.

The helicopter came down on uninhabited ground, but not far from the first houses in Gorice. A large amount of kerosene leaked out next to the wreckage, so firefighters stayed at the scene all night because of the risk of fire or explosion, Brčko Mayor Siniša Milić said. Nine of the injured are being treated in Brčko, while two were transferred to the Clinical Centre in Tuzla - without the medical helicopter from Sarajevo, which couldn't take off because of bad weather.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto released the names of the dead and announced he would visit the injured in Bosnia. The ceremonial opening of the Villaggio Difesa event for Armed Forces Day on 4 November has been cancelled, and the venue will be used to pay tribute to the dead. Condolences came from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Foreign Ministry.

In the statements over the coming days, one phrase will keep coming back: "killed in the service of peace". It's true - and that's exactly what makes it heavy. Three decades after Dayton, peace in Bosnia is still guarded by foreign soldiers. How much longer will the country need other people's helicopters to stay stable?