Italian Military Helicopter Crash in Bosnia Kills Four Personnel
Four military personnel died after an Italian CH-47 helicopter crashed in Bosnia-Herzegovina during a routine training flight, leaving eleven others injured.
The Victims from Viterbo and the Red Cross
The aircraft carried fifteen people when it went down near Brcko in the northeast of the country while supporting Operation Eufor Althea, ansa.it reported. The two crew members operating the controls served at the Army Aviation Command in Viterbo. They were Sergeant Simone Ruggia and Sergeant Claudio Marchesi, both assigned to the 1st Antares Regiment of the Viterbo Training Center.
Marchesi was 35 years old and originally from Orvieto. The remaining two victims belonged to the Voluntary Military Corps of the Italian Red Cross, identified as Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo, a physician, and Sergeant Laura Procacci, a nurse. Another Red Cross operator on the medical evacuation team sustained injuries in the crash.
The Flight Path and Condition of the Survivors
The CH-47 helicopter departed from Viterbo, made a scheduled stop at the Pratica di Mare military airport, and then continued toward Bosnia. The eleven surviving passengers sustained various injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment. None of the survivors are in life-threatening condition. Local reports indicate that one of the injured personnel is from Viterbo and suffered broken ribs.
Childhood Friend Remembers Simone Ruggia
Friends and family mourned the loss of Sergeant Simone Ruggia, who grew up in Salerno before moving to Viterbo in 2011. Childhood friend Andrea Mattei described him as a loyal and generous person who stayed deeply connected to his hometown where his mother Gina and sister Ilenia still reside. Ruggia married his wife Chiara in May and would have celebrated his 37th birthday on February 21.
Giorgia Meloni shared tributes on X, remembering the four lives lost while serving Italy and encouraging citizens to leave flowers at the Defense village at the Circus Maximus. Italian authorities continue to monitor the recovery of the eleven injured service members.