4 killed, 11 injured as helicopter with EU force crashes in Bosnia

SARAJEVO: Four Italian members of the European Union Force in Bosnia (EUFOR) were killed and 11 others injured on Thursday when an Italian military helicopter conducting a training operation crashed.

EUFOR said the Chinook CH-47 helicopter crashed during a "routine mission" in the Brcko region, about 180km north of Sarajevo.

"There were a total of 15 people on board the helicopter. Three people died in the crash," Salih Ibrahimbegovic, a spokesman for Brcko hospital, told AFP.

"Twelve people were transported to our hospital. Unfortunately, a fourth person succumbed to injuries in the hospital," Ibrahimbegovic added.

The Italian Defence Ministry said the victims were two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers.

"In this time of profound grief, my first thoughts go to the families of our fallen soldiers, to whom I extend my personal condolences," Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said.

The strength of the European military mission in the Balkan country, where it is tasked with maintaining peace, varies between 1,000 and 1,500 personnel.

Several local media outlets published photographs of the helicopter wreckage in a flat, grassy field.

"Of the 11 people being treated at the facility, three will soon be transferred to a hospital in Tuzla," about 50km from Brcko, hospital spokesman Ibrahimbegovic said.

"We are in the process of saving lives, that is what matters most."

"EUFOR is conducting a full and thorough investigation of the incident and will release more information as it is verified, and when appropriate," the mission said in a statement.

An earlier statement said that "no civilian infrastructure, property, or vehicles were damaged, and there were no injuries to civilians".

EUFOR has had a mission in Bosnia since 2004, when it took over from a Nato peacekeeping force that had been present since the country's 1992-95 war.

In June 2008, four EUFOR members in Bosnia – two German officers and two Spanish helicopter pilots – died in a crash.