Shortly after midday, the military plane that brought back to Italy the bodies of the four soldiers who died last Thursday in the crash of a Chinook helicopter in Bosnia, during a mission as part of the Eufor Althea operation, landed in Ciampino.
The aircraft with the bodies of sergeants Simone Ruggia and Claudio Marchesi and members of the Military Corps of the Red Cross, Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci on board, was welcomed at the Roman airport by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani and the Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto.
The coffins were placed in the large square of the airport where they received military honours. After the religious blessing, the President of the Republic examined the coffins and paused for a few moments in contemplation in front of each coffin. The bodies of the soldiers were then transferred aboard 4 hearses to the Celio Military Hospital, where the funeral home will be set up.
From the Tuzla hospital, where he is hospitalized for the injuries sustained in the accident, medical lieutenant colonel Flavio Favari, third member of the CRI Medevac team and the only survivor of the medical team, spoke and stated that "it is a miracle that I am still alive. I only remember that it was a matter of a second, of a very violent impact".
The Rome Prosecutor's Office investigating the military helicopter crash in Bosnia has ordered an autopsy on one of the four victims, Sergeant Laura Procacci of the Red Cross Military Corps, who died after being transferred to hospital. The autopsy examination will take place today at the Tor Vergata Polyclinic after the return of the bodies to Ciampino. For the other three deceased soldiers, sergeants Simone Ruggia and Claudio Marchesi and lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo, an external examination has already been carried out in Bosnia which revealed that the death was linked to a violent crushing.
The funeral should take place this week. Overall, three investigations have been launched into the accident, including that of the Bosnian authorities, which also caused the injury of eleven people who were on board the aircraft. Two proceedings are open in Rome, both against unknown persons. The military prosecutor's office proceeds for the military crime of negligent loss, while the ordinary prosecutor's office hypothesizes the crimes of disaster, manslaughter and injuries.
The investigative activity will focus in particular on the technical investigations on the wreckage of the Chinook and on the analysis of the black box, elements considered fundamental for reconstructing what happened in the moments preceding the crash. The Italian judicial offices will work in close collaboration with the commission of experts sent by the Defense to Bosnia to carry out a series of technical findings and listen to witnesses, starting with the helicopter pilots. The Capitoline investigators have already heard, through the police forces sent to the scene, the three pilots and the survivors, but it cannot be ruled out that, as soon as conditions allow, they will be interviewed again.
Various hypotheses remain open regarding the causes of the accident. Excluding external action or a terrorist act, the investigators' attention is focused on the possibility of a sudden technical failure or human error. In this area, answers will come from the consultancies that will be entrusted to analyze the wreckage and the black box.
The Chinook was on a medical evacuation mission. The aircraft had departed from Viterbo and made a technical stop at Pratica di Mare airport before reaching Bosnia. In total there were fifteen soldiers on board. The helicopter crashed in a field in the Brcko area. Among the items brought to the attention of investigators there is also a film documenting the last seconds of flight. In the images you can see the vehicle trying to regain altitude before the crash. However, the maneuver would not have been successful and the helicopter, about fifty meters above the ground, would have twisted and fallen to the ground.
