The pilot and the aircraft specialist from the Viterbo training center. The Red Cross doctor and nurse. These are the four soldiers killed in the crash involving an Italian helicopter in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The two military personnel in command were serving at the Army Aviation Command (AVES) in Viterbo. They are Sergeant Simone Ruggia and Sergeant Claudio Marchesi . Both were stationed in the First 'Antares' Regiment of the Training Center, the facility that, with volunteer personnel, provides training and education to pilots and technicians and develops aircraft operation techniques. The organization also provides "capability packages" needed by Land Operational Forces at home and in overseas theaters.
Marchesi, 35, is originally from Orvieto, where his family lives. He is passionate about skiing and soccer, having played as a boy. On social media, he posted a photo of himself in the snow, accompanied by the motto, "Ever since I could walk, I've loved running."
The other two victims belong to the Italian Red Cross Volunteer Military Corps. They are Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci . They are a doctor and a nurse. Another Red Cross worker—a member of the medical evacuation team—was injured.
The helicopter reportedly departed from Viterbo on Wednesday morning and, after a stopover at Pratica di Mare military airport, reached Bosnia. The aircraft, a CH-47, deployed as part of Operation EUFOR Althea, reportedly crashed during one of its daily training operations. A total of 15 people were on board the helicopter. The eleven injured are receiving treatment, and none of their lives are currently in danger .
Among the injured is reportedly a man from Viterbo who miraculously escaped the disaster, having survived with a series of fractured ribs. It is possible that some women were among those injured.