A helicopter of the European Union peacekeeping force (EUFOR) crashed on Thursday, the 29th, in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving three dead and 12 injured, according to local authorities. The European mission (EUFOR) confirmed that crew members were killed or injured, but did not disclose the number of victims.
The mayor of the Brcko district, Sinisa Milic, confirmed to the Serbo-Bosnian broadcaster RTRS that three people had died and another 12 received medical treatment. Among the injured, one person is in critical condition.
According to authorities quoted by the local press, the aircraft, an Italian military CH-47 Chinook helicopter, crashed in an area near the city of Brcko. EUFOR said that the circumstances of the accident are under investigation and that more details would be released later.
The news portal Klix published images of the crash site, showing the helicopter almost destroyed on a grassy area.
In a previous statement, EUFOR stated that the accident did not cause damage to civilian infrastructure, properties or vehicles. There were also no reports of injuries among the civilian population.
The European Union peacekeeping mission in Bosnia comprises 1,200 troops and replaced the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004. Its operation aims to contribute to the country’s security and to supervise the enforcement of the military provisions of the peace agreement that ended the war from 1992 to 1995. The operation is conducted under a mandate from the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
