Four Italian service members were killed and 11 people were injured when an Italian CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed near Brčko in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina during a European Union military mission.
The aircraft went down near the village of Gorice while taking part in a routine operation for EUFOR Althea, according to Italy's Rai News, citing the Italian defence ministry and mission command. The cause was not immediately known, and EUFOR announced an investigation.
All 15 people aboard were accounted for. Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said two of those killed served in the Italian Army and two belonged to the Italian Red Cross's voluntary military corps. The 11 injured personnel were receiving treatment and none was considered in life-threatening condition at the time of the ministry's update. Italy sent a medical team to support their care.
EUFOR's command in Sarajevo confirmed that one of its aircraft had crashed in the Brčko region during an operational activity. It reported deaths and serious injuries but initially released few further details while the response and investigation were under way. Italian diplomatic personnel also travelled toward the crash site to assist.
The CH-47 is a twin-rotor heavy transport helicopter used to carry personnel and equipment. Its role makes it a common platform for military logistics, but the available reporting did not identify a mechanical failure, weather event or operational error as the cause. Any such explanation would be speculative before investigators examine the wreckage, flight data, maintenance history and conditions at the scene.
Operation Althea is the European Union's military deployment in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It began in December 2004 after the NATO-led Stabilisation Force and operates under a UN mandate. The mission supports a secure environment and works with Bosnia's armed forces through training and joint activities. Rai reported that approximately 1,100 personnel were deployed and that Italian Major General Maurizio Fronda had led the mission since January 2026.
The crash prompted condolences from senior Italian officials, including President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Their statements focused on the victims, their families, the wounded and personnel serving in the mission.
The next authoritative account is expected to come from the formal investigation. Until it is complete, the established facts are limited to the location, the aircraft and mission involved, the number of people aboard and the casualty figures confirmed by Italian authorities. The inquiry will need to determine why a routine flight ended in the deadliest reported incident involving the mission that day.
