Fifteen EUFOR personnel were involved in the crash of an Italian CH-47 Chinook helicopter near Brčko; according to current information, four have died.
In terms of the total number of casualties, this is the most serious air accident involving international forces in BiH since 1997, when a UN helicopter crashed near Prokoško Lake.
In terms of the death toll, this accident is on par with the crash of a EUFOR helicopter on June 19, 2008. In that incident, which occurred in central Bosnia, two Spanish pilots and two German officers died when their BO-105 helicopter crashed. There were no survivors or other passengers on board that aircraft, whereas there were 15 people on board the Chinook near Brčko. The crash near Brčko is the first fatal EUFOR helicopter accident since 2008.
At least seven helicopter crashes
According to agency archives and the Aviation Safety Network database, at least seven helicopters belonging to SFOR and EUFOR missions have crashed since the arrival of peacekeeping forces in BiH. A total of 13 people have died in these accidents.
During the SFOR era, four helicopters crashed. A Czech Mi-17 crashed on January 8, 1998, near Bosanska Krupa, just seconds after takeoff. All 21 crew members and passengers survived, though nine sustained serious injuries.
A second Czech Mi-17 crashed on October 25 of the same year near Tomislavgrad, while en route from Gornji Vakuf to Split; all three crew members perished. In December 1998, near Gornji Vakuf, a British Lynx crashed and two crew members died. A Slovak Mi-17 crashed on December 24, 2002 near Travnik, and no one was killed in that accident.
Since the start of the EUFOR Althea operation at the end of 2004, three helicopters have crashed. In February 2005, a British Lynx crashed near Kakanj and three crew members were slightly injured. This was followed by the crash of the BO-105 helicopter in 2008 and today’s crash near Brčko.
Prokoško Lake: 12 killed
The worst air accident of the international mission in BiH happened on September 17, 1997. The UN helicopter crashed into a mountain near the Prokoški lake above Fojnica in dense fog. 12 people died: five members of the Office of the High Representative and seven members of the UN mission. German diplomat Gerd Wagner, deputy high representative, was among the victims, and four people survived the accident.
The worst air accident in Bosnia and Herzegovina since the war remains the plane crash near Berković on February 26, 2004. All nine passengers and crew members died then, including Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski, Klix.ba writes.
