All three individuals who died in the crash of an EUFOR helicopter in the village of Gorice, near Brčko – as well as the 12 people who were injured – are Italian citizens, it has been confirmed to Klix.ba.
Jasmin Mehanović, Director of the Brčko Health Center, previously confirmed to Klix.ba that one of the injured individuals is in life-threatening condition and will likely be transported to the University Clinical Center (UKC) in Tuzla.
The Brčko District Police, firefighters, and emergency medical services arrived at the scene immediately, and the surrounding area has been secured.
EUFOR confirmed that the accident occurred during a routine operation in the Brčko area and that one of their aircraft had crashed.
They stated that no civilian infrastructure, property, or vehicles were damaged, and that no civilians were injured.
They urged citizens to “avoid misinformation regarding this incident and to rely exclusively on official channels.”
According to the Italian Ministry of Defence, an Italian Army Aviation detachment from the 4th “Altair” Regiment has been part of EUFOR since January 2026, operating multi-role AB-205 helicopters and medium-lift CH-47F transport helicopters.
The EUFOR air detachment is commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Alessandro Guadagno of the 34th “Toro” Squadron. The helicopters are used for transport, personnel extraction, and medical evacuation – a service available 24 hours a day, supported by an on-duty medical team. All helicopters in the detachment are provided by the Italian Army Aviation; the Chinook was also used this autumn during training for mountain rescuers from Bosnia and Herzegovina, specifically for hoist extraction operations.
The Chinooks participated in the “Combined Response 2026” exercise, which began on March 9. During the “Quick Response 2026” exercise, from August 22 to September 3, they transported soldiers from Butmir to Krčmarice near Banja Luka, as well as Italian and Dutch paratroopers toward Bijeljina.
