At least four killed as Italian helicopter in EU mission in Bosnia crashes

At ‌least four ​people were reported killed when an Italian military helicopter with the EU ‌peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina crashed on Thursday, ANSA news agency reported.

Another 12 people were injured when the ‌helicopter came down in the village of Gorice in ‌Brcko district, the mayor of Brcko was quoted as saying by the agency. Images carried by local media showed a military ⁠transport helicopter ​overturned on ⁠the ground and shattered into pieces.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni 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." An official ⁠from ​the EUFOR mission confirmed the crash, but did not give details on the number of casualties.

The ⁠aircraft had been deployed as part of Operation Althea, run ⁠by EUFOR, ⁠which oversees the implementation of the Dayton Peace Agreement.