Italian military helicopter crash in Bosnia kills four, ministry confirms

• The victims were two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers.
• Eleven others were injured, with all reported to be in stable condition.

Four Italian military personnel were killed and 11 others injured after an Italian military helicopter crashed in Bosnia and Herzegovina during a mission with the European Union's peacekeeping force, Italy's Defence Ministry confirmed on Thursday.

In an official statement issued on Oct. 29, the ministry said the accident involved a helicopter deployed as part of the EUFOR Althea operation. The four fatalities included two members of the Italian Army and two members of the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps.

A total of 15 people were aboard the aircraft, according to the ministry. The 11 injured were receiving medical treatment, with none reported to be in life-threatening condition.

Italy's Defence Ministry said it had arranged for a medical team to be sent from Italy to support the injured and ensure they received appropriate care.

The ministry added that the circumstances of the crash remained under investigation, with inquiries launched to reconstruct the sequence of events and establish the cause of the accident.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed condolences to the victims' families, saying his thoughts were with the families of those killed and extending the ministry's support to the injured and their relatives.

"There are no words that can ease a loss of such magnitude," Crosetto said, paying tribute to the personnel who died while serving their country.

EUFOR Althea mission

The aircraft was a CH-47 helicopter operating under EUFOR Althea, the European Union's military operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The mission was established in 2004, replacing the NATO-led peacekeeping force deployed after the 1992–1995 Bosnian War. It is tasked with maintaining a safe and secure environment and supporting the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the conflict.