The site of the crash of a ICH-47 Chinook helicopter belonging to the Italian contingent of the European Union Force (EUFOR) Althea mission, near the village of Gorice, in Brcko District, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 29 October 2026;
Credit: klix.ba/Handout via REUTERS
ROME/ATHENS (Reuters) - An Italian military helicopter operating with the EU peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina crashed on Thursday 29 October 2026, killing four people and injuring eleven others, Italy's defence ministry said.
Two of those killed were members of the Italian army and two belonged to the Italian Red Cross's Volunteer Military Corps, the ministry said. It added that all eleven injured were receiving treatment and none was in a life-threatening condition. A total of fifteen people were on board.
"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 said.
ANSA news agency reported the helicopter came down in the village of Gorice in Brcko district. Images carried by local media showed a military transport helicopter overturned on the ground and shattered into pieces.
"There are no words capable of easing such a profound loss," Crosetto said.
The aircraft had been deployed as part of Operation Althea, run by the European Union Force, which oversees the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.
Italy's defence ministry said the cause of the crash was under investigation and that inquiries were underway to establish the circumstances of the accident.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni also expressed her condolences, writing on X: "My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and all those who, as part of the mission to promote peace and stability in the region are experiencing hours of anguish."
