Bodies of four Italian soldiers killed in Bosnia crash reach Rome
President Sergio Mattarella led tributes at Ciampino as the bodies of four Italian soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Bosnia were flown home.
The bodies of four Italian soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Bosnia and Herzegovina were flown back to Rome's Ciampino airport on Monday, where President Sergio Mattarella led a ceremony to receive the coffins.
The four died last Thursday when an Italian military helicopter crashed in Bosnia during a training flight, Italian officials said. They were named as Sergeant Simone Ruggia and Sergeant Claudio Marchesi, along with Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci of the Italian Red Cross Military Corps.
The aircraft carrying the coffins landed at Ciampino around midday, with senior figures from across the armed forces, from Alpine troops to paratroopers and the Red Cross, lined up on the runway alongside relatives of the dead. Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani were present to receive the coffins, which were wrapped in the Italian tricolour.
Families of the dead stood at the end of the long line of personnel, some with coat hoods raised against the cold, and embraced and held each other's hands as the coffins were carried from the aircraft, witnesses said.
After a religious blessing, Mattarella reviewed the coffins and paused briefly in front of each one. The bodies of Ruggia, Marchesi and Zecchillo were then taken to the Celio military hospital in Rome, while Procacci's body was taken to the Tor Vergata hospital for an autopsy.
Soldiers from the Antares and Reos regiments, which Ruggia and Marchesi had belonged to, gathered outside the Celio hospital to greet their arriving colleagues, embracing them before going inside together, while relatives who had waited at the airport also made their way to the hospital. Officials gave no further details on the cause of the crash or on what would happen next.
Italian authorities said the evacuation of personnel from Bosnia and Herzegovina following the crash had been completed by Monday, bringing to a close the operation that began with the recovery of the four bodies.
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What we know
- Official · Italian armed forces Four Italian soldiers died when their military helicopter crashed in Bosnia and Herzegovina during a training flight last Thursday.
- Official · Italian presidency Their bodies were flown to Rome's Ciampino airport on Monday and received by President Sergio Mattarella.
- Official · Italian armed forces The dead were named as Sergeant Simone Ruggia, Sergeant Claudio Marchesi, Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci of the Red Cross Military Corps.
- 2+ outlets · La Stampa, Sky TG24 Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also attended the ceremony.
- Official · Italian authorities Italy's evacuation of personnel from Bosnia and Herzegovina following the crash has been completed.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
Italian authorities said the evacuation of personnel from Bosnia and Herzegovina following the crash was completed by Monday, bringing to a close the operation that began with the recovery of the four bodies. The presence of the president, the prime minister and two senior ministers at the ceremony, alongside representatives of the Alpine troops, paratroopers and the Red Cross, reflected the scale of the loss for Italy's armed forces and the Red Cross military corps.
Sources
Reported by 5 reports from 5 independent outlets in 2 countries.
- La Stampa: A Ciampino le salme dei militari italiani morti in Bosnia: Mattarella ad accogliere i feretri
- TGCom24: Atterrato a Ciampino l'aereo con le salme dei quattro militari morti in Bosnia
- Adnkronos: Elicottero caduto in Bosnia, atterrato a Ciampino il C130 con a bordo le salme dei militari morti
- Il Fatto Quotidiano: Bosnia, a Ciampino le salme dei 4 militari italiani morti. Sergio Mattarella rende omaggio ai feretri avvolti dal Tricolore
- Sky TG24: Aereo con salme militari morti in Bosnia arrivato a Ciampino
Source balance
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Intelligence file
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Questions and answers
- When and where did the crash happen?
- An Italian military helicopter crashed in Bosnia and Herzegovina last Thursday during a training flight.
- Who were the victims?
- Sergeants Simone Ruggia and Claudio Marchesi, Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo, and Sergeant Laura Procacci of the Red Cross Military Corps.
- What happened when the bodies arrived in Italy?
- President Sergio Mattarella led a military and religious ceremony at Ciampino airport before the bodies were taken to hospitals in Rome.
This article was written with AI assistance from 5 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.