An Italian Army CH-47F Chinook helicopter crashed near Brčko in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina on the afternoon of October 29, 2026, while serving with the European Union's EUFOR Althea mission. EUFOR says the aircraft was on a routine training flight when it went down. Four personnel were killed and 11 were injured, and the injured are reported to be in stable condition. Local and Italian media place the crash near the village of Gorice and say all 15 people aboard were Italian. Video of the moment of the crash has been circulating online, which has only added to the shock.

The big question now is what went wrong, and the answer is not yet known. EUFOR has opened an investigation, and no cause has been confirmed. Early reports gave a different toll of three dead and 12 injured before the figures were updated to four and 11, so details may still shift as officials finish their count. Italian media report that two of the victims were Red Cross personnel, though names and further details have been left to official announcements. Messages of sorrow have come from NATO's top military officer, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, and from Italian President Sergio Mattarella, who expressed solidarity with the families.