Four Italians Die as an EU Force Helicopter Crashes in Bosnia

A helicopter belonging to the European Union's military mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina has crashed, with four Italian nationals confirmed dead, Al Jazeera reported on Friday. The force, known as EUFOR, confirmed that the aircraft was a CH-47 Chinook, the tandem-rotor transport helicopter flown by several European armies. The report, published shortly after midnight GMT, gave no location for the crash and no indication of its cause.

EUFOR has been in Bosnia since December 2004, when it took over from the NATO-led force that had policed the 1995 peace settlement. Its declared task is to support local authorities in maintaining a safe and secure environment, and its uniformed strength has been cut back over the years as the country's own armed forces took on more responsibility. The mission operates under a United Nations mandate renewed each year by the Security Council.

Al Jazeera named none of the four and did not say in what capacity they were on board, whether serving with the mission, travelling with it or otherwise. Italy has contributed personnel to the NATO and EU presences in the Balkans since the 1990s, and Italian officers have at times held senior posts in the region. No statement from the Italian government or the defence ministry appeared in the reporting available on Friday morning.