The city of Salerno has proclaimed civic mourning for Army Sergeant Simone Ruggia, a native of Salerno who was among four Italian military personnel killed when a CH-47 helicopter crashed in Bosnia-Erzegovina.
The aircraft was taking part in the EUFOR Althea operation when it crashed on 29 October, according to the Italian Ministry of Defence. Four military personnel died and 11 people were injured. The Ministry said the causes and circumstances were still being investigated.
A Salerno native among the victims
Ruggia was an Army sergeant originally from Salerno and serving with the Army Aviation Command in Viterbo. Local reporting in Salerno identified him as one of the victims of the crash in Bosnia.
The other three fatalities named in the sources were Sergeant Claudio Marchesi, Lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Sergeant Laura Procacci. According to the reports, the victims included two Italian Army personnel and two members of the Italian Red Cross Military Corps.
Flags at half-mast and gonfalon in Rome
In Salerno, the municipality ordered flags at half-mast on public buildings. The city's gonfalon was sent to the state funeral in Rome.
The arrangements for a funeral or memorial service in Salerno had not been finalised in the local report. That report mentioned both a possible burial in Salerno and a possible cremation, with no final decision given.
What is confirmed and what remains unclear
Confirmed by the Ministry of Defence and the Salerno report:
- A CH-47 helicopter involved in EUFOR Althea crashed in Bosnia-Erzegovina.
- Four military personnel were killed; 11 people were injured.
- Sergeant Simone Ruggia, from Salerno, was among those killed.
- Salerno proclaimed civic mourning, with flags at half-mast and the city gonfalon present at the state funeral in Rome.
Not yet established in the acquired sources:
- The official cause and detailed dynamics of the crash were still under investigation.
- The date and final form of any ceremony in Salerno remained uncertain.
