Italian Army Chinook crashes near Brčko in Bosnia, killing four EUFOR personnel and injuring 11
An Italian Army CH-47 Chinook serving the EU's EUFOR Althea mission crashed near Gorice, Brčko, on Thursday, killing four and injuring 11. The cause is being investigated.
At a glance
- An Italian Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter crashed near the village of Gorice in Bosnia's Brčko District on Thursday, October 29, 2026, during what EUFOR called a routine training flight.
- EUFOR says four people were killed and 11 injured; Brčko hospital said the fourth victim died of injuries after the first count of three dead and 12 injured.
- All 15 people on board were Italian, local authorities said; EUFOR said no civilians were hurt and no civilian property was damaged.
- Italy's Defence Ministry confirmed the crash and said the cause is under investigation; Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni sent condolences.
Four Italian military personnel were killed and 11 injured on Thursday, October 29, 2026, when an Italian Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter serving with the European Union's peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina crashed near Gorice, a village in the Brčko District in the north-east of the country. EUFOR, the EU force, said the helicopter was on a routine training flight. Italy's Defence Ministry confirmed the crash and said an investigation into its cause is under way.
All 15 people on board were Italian, according to local authorities. EUFOR said the injured were in a stable condition and receiving treatment, and that no civilians were hurt and no civilian homes or infrastructure were damaged.
How the toll rose from three to four
The first figures came from Brčko District mayor Siniša Milić, who said three people had died and 12 had been injured, one of them critically. A few hours later a spokesman for Brčko hospital, Salih Ibrahimbegović, said a fourth person had died of injuries in hospital. EUFOR's own figures, released in the evening, put the toll at four dead and 11 injured.
| Figure | |
|---|---|
| People on board | 15 (all Italian) |
| Killed | 4 |
| Injured | 11, reported stable |
| Civilian casualties | None, EUFOR said |
| Aircraft | Italian Army Aviation CH-47F (ICH-47F) Chinook |
| Place | Near Gorice, Brčko District, Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Date | Thursday, October 29, 2026 |
The names of the dead have not been released. Officials in Rome said more precise information about the condition of the crew and passengers would follow once families had been informed.
What the helicopter was doing in Bosnia
EUFOR Operation Althea is the EU military mission that has helped keep the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2004, when it took over from NATO's force. It was set up to support the Dayton peace agreement that ended the 1992–95 war, and today it trains Bosnia's armed forces and keeps a reserve ready in case of unrest. About 1,100 troops from more than 20 countries serve with it.
Italy has kept an Army Aviation helicopter detachment with the mission since January 2026. The CH-47F is the latest version of the twin-rotor Chinook, a heavy transport helicopter used to move troops and cargo.
Brčko is a self-governing district on the Sava river, on the border with Croatia. It sits between Bosnia's two entities, the Federation and Republika Srpska, and has its own government under international supervision.
What officials said
Italy's Defence Ministry said the circumstances of the crash were being investigated and gave no possible cause. EUFOR also did not say what went wrong. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni offered her condolences to the families of the victims and to the armed forces in a social media post.
Bosnian authorities and emergency services secured the crash site near Gorice. The Bosnian Defence Ministry said it would not comment further until it had more precise information about the health of those on board.
What happens next
Italian military investigators are expected to travel to Brčko to examine the wreckage and recover the flight data. The bodies of the four dead are expected to be flown back to Italy, where a state funeral is usually held for service members killed on missions abroad. EUFOR has not said whether Italy's other helicopters with the mission will be grounded while the investigation runs.
