Italian CH-47 Helicopter on EU Mission Crashes Near Brcko in Bosnia

Updated 02:50 UTC, Oct. 30, 2026: Italy's Defence Ministry and EUFOR have now confirmed the toll from the crash. Four Italian personnel were killed and 11 were injured, out of 15 people on board. The ministry named those killed as Sergeant Simone Ruggia and Sergeant Claudio Marchesi of the Italian Army, and Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci of the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps. EUFOR said the 11 injured were in stable condition, with two taken to a medical facility in Tuzla and nine receiving treatment in Brcko. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said: "In this moment of immense pain, 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 Ministry." The cause of the crash remains under investigation. This confirmed toll replaces the earlier local reports of three dead and 12 injured carried below.

An Italian military CH-47 helicopter working for the European Union peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina crashed near Brcko in the north east of the country on Thursday afternoon, Oct. 29, 2026. Italy's Defence Ministry called it a serious accident and said the cause was still under investigation.

Local media in Brcko, citing Mayor Sinisa Milic and the Brcko health centre, reported three people dead and 12 injured, with one person in critical condition and about 15 people on board. Those figures had not been confirmed by Italy's Defence Ministry or by EUFOR at the time of reporting, and they are reported here as local reports only, not as an official toll.

What officials have confirmed

The Defence Ministry said rescue teams were immediately deployed to the scene. The ministry said it could not provide further details, particularly regarding the health conditions of the personnel on board. In its statement, reported by LaPresse, the ministry said emergency services responded promptly.

The aircraft was a CH-47 operating as part of Operation EUFOR Althea, the EU mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Italy currently holds the command of the EUFOR mission. Reports based on the EUFOR statement placed the crash near Brcko, with local media citing the village of Gorice, during a routine operation.

EUFOR says no civilians were hurt

EUFOR said no civilians were injured in the crash. The mission also said no civilian infrastructure, property or vehicles were damaged. EUFOR announced a full investigation into what happened.

"EUFOR is conducting a full and thorough investigation into the incident, and further details will be released once the facts have been established," the mission said in its statement, reported by SRNA.

What remains unconfirmed

The condition of the crew and passengers has not been officially confirmed. The Defence Ministry declined to give details about the health of the personnel on board, and neither the ministry nor EUFOR had confirmed the casualty figures reported by local media in Brcko.

The cause of the crash is also unknown. The Defence Ministry said the reasons were still under investigation, and EUFOR said its investigation would establish the facts before further details are released. Until those official findings are published, the number of people killed or injured in the crash and the reason the helicopter came down remain unconfirmed.