Tragic Helicopter Crash Kills Four Italian Soldiers

Four Italian service members died as a result of a tragic accident involving a helicopter deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of Operation EUFOR Althea. Two of them were members of the Italian Army, and two were members of the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps. According to the Ministry of Defense, eleven other people were injured, none of whom are in life-threatening condition. The Ministry immediately arranged for an Italian medical team to be sent to provide the injured with the best possible care.

“The causes of the tragedy are currently under investigation,” reads the statement issued by Via Venti Settembre. “The necessary investigative activities have already been launched to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and to clarify the circumstances of the incident.” Defense Minister Guido Crosetto, together with the entire Department of Defense, extends his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims, their loved ones, and their colleagues, sharing in the grief over a loss that affects the entire defense community.”

These are the words of Minister Crosetto: “In this moment of immense grief, my thoughts go first and foremost to the families of our fallen, to whom I express my personal condolences and those of the entire Defense Department. No words can ever make up for such a great loss. The gratitude of all of Italy goes out to our service members who lost their lives while serving the country. We stand with the wounded, their families, and all those who are enduring these tragic hours.”