In brief
The mayor of Brčko announced a day of mourning for four Italian soldiers of the EUFOR mission who were killed when their helicopter crashed on Thursday. The incident, noted as one of the country’s most tragic military events since 1997, killed three immediately and a fourth at the hospital. Italian and Bosnian officials have visited wounded troops, and Saudi Arabia has offered condolences.
The city of Brčko, Bosnia and Herzegovina, announced a day of mourning on Friday after a helicopter crash on Thursday killed four Italian members of the European Union Force.
Local media reported that the crash killed three soldiers at the scene and a fourth later in a Bosnian hospital. The other 11 people involved were not in life‑threatening condition, Xinhua said.
Brčko mayor Siniša Milic described the event as one of the most tragic involving international forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1997 and thanked the helicopter pilot for keeping the aircraft away from a densely populated area, preventing civilian casualties.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto visited the injured EUFOR personnel in a Bosnian hospital during a trip to the country, accompanied by Bosnian Defence Minister Zukan Helez, Xinhua reported.
The crash happened during a joint training exercise involving European Union forces, according to the source.
In a separate statement, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its sincere condolences to Italy and the families of the victims, wishing a speedy recovery for the wounded and solidarity for Italy’s government and people.
