The pilot and the aircraft specialist from the Viterbo training center, the doctor and the nurse from the Red Cross on his first international mission. These are the four soldiers who died in the crash of an Italian helicopter in Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday afternoon. Their names were Simone Ruggia, Claudio Marchesi, Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Laura Procacci. They were all involved in the Eufor Althea operation. There were a total of 15 people on board the helicopter. The eleven survivors are injured, but not life-threatening.
The aircraft, a CH 47, left Viterbo and after a stop at the military airport of Pratica di Mare reached Bosnia for a training operation. It is not clear what happened, but it certainly twisted in a downward spiral while flying at low altitude and quickly crashed to the ground in the countryside of the Brčko district. A Defense investigation will have to clarify the reasons for the accident. The wreckage of the vehicle will be analyzed first.
Who are the victims
Sergeant Simone Ruggia and his equal rank Claudio Marchesi were in service at the Army Aviation Command (Aves) in Viterbo.
Marchesi, 35, was originally from Orvieto, where his family lives. He was the on-board specialist, that is, he took care of the technical aspects. Ruggia was the pilot and was 30 years old, he was originally from Salerno. He had lived in Viterbo for at least eight years. Both were stationed at the first “Antares” regiment of the training center. This is the structure which, with volunteer staff, provides training for pilots and technicians and the development of aircraft use techniques. The agency also provides “capability packages” needed by operational land forces at home and in overseas theaters.
Laura Procacci, a Red Cross sergeant and nurse who died in the crash, was only 24 years old. She was the first female non-commissioned officer from Andria to be sworn into the Cri military corps. The mayor of the Apulian city, Giovanna Bruno, remembered him on Facebook. “A girl known for her temperament and her testimony of strong positivity; a life full of volunteering and healthy principles”, writes the mayor.
Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo, also from the Cri, would have turned 65 on 31 October. He was born in Milan and was a doctor expert in cardiovascular pathophysiology and cardiovascular perfusion.
The causes of the crash
The accident occurred on Thursday afternoon. Eufor explains that the aircraft was conducting “routine training” and the Ministry of Defense says that the causes “are being investigated”.
The Italian ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina, Sarah Castellani, went to the scene: “The dynamics are not yet clear, the accident would have occurred during take-off from Brčko airport, therefore immediately afterwards”. Some eyewitnesses say that the helicopter was flying at low altitude before the crash and made several turns before hitting the ground.
The helicopter remained on the ground, reduced to a pile of sheet metal and mechanical parts, and the work of recovering the bodies was particularly complex. Among the hypotheses there is also that of a possible collision with high voltage cables. Bad weather was ruled out because the conditions were normal visibility.
The Eufor Althea mission
The Eufor Althea mission was born in 2004 with the aim of stabilizing the area after the breakup of Yugoslavia, supporting local authorities and training the armed forces. Althea includes 1,600 soldiers from 24 countries: the Italian one is the largest contingent, around 300. The headquarters is at Camp Budmir, near Sarajevo. The mission has been under Italian leadership since January this year with General Maurizio Fronda.
The Chinook on which the victims were is a helicopter built by Boeing in the early 1960s and was used extensively in the Vietnam War by the American armed forces, but is still used by many countries due to its high load capacity: it can carry up to 50 people.
Every large family, in moments of mourning, becomes even closer. This is what the defense team does today, united in pain, emotion and in the memory of colleagues who lost their lives in service to the country.
It is in this spirit that, following the tragic accident that occurred in Bosnia-Herzegovina, the inauguration ceremony of the Defense Village scheduled for tomorrow morning was cancelled.
However, our Village will open to the public tomorrow, 30 October, at 2.00 pm, no longer as the scene of a thanksgiving party for the Armed Forces but as a place to demonstrate, with a prayer, a flower, a card or your presence, your closeness to the Fallen, their families and the Armed Forces.
— Ministry of Defense (@MinisteroDifesa) October 29, 2026
Crosetto: “I kneel to you”
“You left this earth honoring your oath of service to Italy. I kneel in front of you, praying that your loved ones can overcome this tragedy”, writes Defense Minister Guido Crosetto on Instagram posting photos of the four dead Italian soldiers.
We waited for the dramatic news of the death of their loved ones to be brought to the families and we wanted to prevent hundreds of other families from experiencing hours of anguish waiting to know the names of the people involved. Our momentary silence did not prevent the news of the disappearance of 4 of our soldiers involved in the Eufor Althea mission from echoing, causing the desperation of hundreds of people who had their loved ones engaged in Bosnia. For hours I have been following, with the Defense General Staff, the Army General Staff and the Joint Forces Operational Command, the 11 people injured and currently hospitalized at the Brcko and Tuzla hospitals, where we have sent Italian military medical personnel to monitor our boys closely. Tomorrow morning, with the Chief of Defense Staff we will reach our wounded and the other soldiers in Bosnia, with other specialist Italian military doctors. All our possible help will go to those who have served up to now and are now in need. We join in the pain of the families of Sergeant (EI AVES) Simone RUGGIA, Sergeant (EI AVES) Claudio MARCHESI, Lieutenant of the Volunteer Military Corps of the Italian Red Cross (CRI) Franco Adriano ZECCHILLO and Sergeant of the Volunteer Military Corps of the Italian Red Cross (CRI) Laura PROCACCI who lost their lives serving Italy, the Defense and the Army. The anguish and suffering from this tragic event will change what we had planned for Armed Forces Day on November 4th. Starting from the Defense Village which will not be inaugurated tomorrow and which will no longer become the scene of a thanksgiving party for the Armed Forces but the place to demonstrate, with a prayer, a flower, a card or your presence, your closeness to the fallen, Simone, Claudio, Franco and Laura, to their families and to the Armed Forces.
— Guido Crosetto (@GuidoCrosetto) October 29, 2026
“The pain for the sudden disappearance of our two colleagues is unspeakable, we are already supporting their families. We are in contact with the third member of the medical evacuation team, who was also injured, and we are following his conditions with great attention. I express my deep condolences, on behalf of the Italian Red Cross, to the families of the other victims of the accident and to the Defense General Staff. I thank the President of the Republic for his closeness”, says Rosario Valastro, national president of the Red Cross.
The Italian Red Cross mourns the death of two Volunteers of the CRI Military Corps and two soldiers of the Italian Army, who died due to the tragic helicopter accident in Brčko, Bosnia, as part of the European Eufor-Althea mission. A third member of the Military Corps’ medical evacuation team, made up of a doctor, a nurse and a rescuer, was also injured.
— Italian Red Cross (@crocerossa) October 29, 2026