Translated automatically by AI from the Italian original.
A solemn funeral was held at the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome for the four Italian soldiers who died on 29 October in a CH-47 helicopter crash during the Eufor Althea mission in Bosnia.
The flag-draped coffins — bearing the portraits of Army Aviation sergeants Simone Ruggia and Claudio Marchesi, lieutenant Franco Adriano Zecchillo and Italian Red Cross sergeant Laura Procacci — were received by an honour guard and carried by comrades.
The ceremony was attended by the highest state officials, including President Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the presidents of the Senate and Chamber, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana. Defence Minister Guido Crosetto expressed deep sorrow: “The State bows to them; they represent the best of Italy.”
