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Four EU Peacekeepers Killed in Bosnia Chopper Crash

DW staff (jg)June 19, 2008

Four servicemen on board an EU peacekeeping helicopter have died in a crash in central Bosnia, Spain's defense ministry said. The cause of the crash is not yet known.

https://p.dw.com/p/EN4j
A soldier sticking a EUFOR sign to the side of a vehicle
Spanish and German troops are in Bosnia as part of an EU missionImage: AP

The ministry said two Spanish soldiers and two Germans were on the helicopter when it went down at around midday on Thursday, June 19.

The ministry named the Spanish servicemen as Lieutenant Santiago Hormigo Ledesma, Sergeant Joaquin Lopez Moreno. The identity of the two Germans has not been released.

The cause of the crash was not immediately known, although the accident was witnessed by a second helicopter, according to Spanish officials.

The defense military said the incident happened near the city of Banja Luka. The helicopter belonged to the Spanish military. Spain currently has 250 soldiers and Germany has 130 troops stationed in Bosnia as part of the EUFOR peackeeping mission.