Four Italians were killed and 11 other people injured when a military helicopter belonging to the European Union's peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina crashed during a training flight on Thursday.

The CH-47 Chinook, operated by the Italian contingent of the EU Force (EUFOR), came down in a flat field near the village of Gorice in the Brcko district, about 180km north of the capital, Sarajevo. EUFOR said the aircraft was on a "routine training" mission. Photos published by Bosnian media showed the twin-rotor helicopter lying overturned and broken in the field.

Soldiers and Red Cross volunteers among the dead

Italy's Defence Ministry said the dead were two Italian Army soldiers and two volunteers from the Italian Red Cross's military corps. All 15 people on board were Italian nationals, according to the Italian government.

Three people died at the scene and a fourth died later in hospital. A hospital spokesman in Brcko said 12 people had been brought in for treatment. EUFOR said the 11 injured were in a stable condition.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto sent condolences to the families of "our fallen".

  • 15 people on board, all Italian
  • 4 killed: two soldiers and two Red Cross volunteers
  • 11 injured, reported stable

Investigation under way

EUFOR said it had launched a full investigation and would release more details once they had been verified. Italy's Defence Ministry is also examining the cause of the crash, and no explanation had been given by Friday morning.

The mission last suffered a comparable loss in June 2008, when two German officers and two Spanish pilots died in a helicopter crash in Bosnia.

Why EUFOR is in Bosnia

EUFOR, also known as Operation Althea, took over from a NATO-led peacekeeping force in 2004. Its task is to support the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, in which about 100,000 people were killed. The force today has between 1,000 and 1,500 personnel and helps Bosnian authorities maintain a safe and secure environment.

The Brcko district, where the helicopter went down, is a self-governing area shared by Bosnia's two entities and one of the most sensitive parts of the country under the post-war settlement.

Photos: Reuters via Al Jazeera; Italian Army via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.