Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), 30 October (H.S.): Four military personnel were killed and 11 others injured after an Italian Chinook military helicopter crashed during a routine training exercise under the European Union peace mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina on Thursday evening, according to the EU force.

The crash occurred in the Goris sector near Brcko, according to a report published by the Serbian-language daily Glas Srpske. The deceased included two members of the Italian Armed Forces and two personnel from the Italian Military Red Cross.

Of the 11 injured, two were referred to the Tuzla Medical Centre, while nine were being treated at medical facilities in Brcko. The EU force said all the injured were in stable condition.

Following the incident, local emergency medical services in Bosnia and Herzegovina and members of the EU force's Liaison and Observation Team reached the site and shifted the injured to medical facilities in Brcko.

The EU force said no civilians were injured and there was no damage to civilian infrastructure, property or vehicles. It also appealed to the public to refrain from spreading unverified information about the incident.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed grief over the deaths in a post on X and conveyed condolences to the families and colleagues of the victims. She also expressed solidarity with all personnel deployed in the region to maintain peace and stability.

The Italian government has informed the families of the personnel who died in the crash, the report said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar