British helicopter crashes in Bosnia

A British military helicopter has been forced to make an emergency landing north of the Bosnian city of Sarajevo.

There are 7000 EU troops in Sarajevo

The Defence Ministry in London said three crew members were “all safe, with minor injuries”.

A spokesman described “an emergency landing just north of Sarajevo at around 1800 GMT” on Monday.

But he rejected press reports that the craft, a British Lynx utility helicopter, was forced down, and declined to comment on its activity.

The crew and craft are part of a British contingent participating in the EU-led Stabilisation Force (SFOR), a peacekeeping mission first deployed after Bosnia-Herzegovina’s 1992-95 war.

The European Union has a 7000-strong force at Camp Butmir in Sarajevo, and SFOR – now made up of 30 countries including 22 EU nations – is led by British General David Leakey.

Sarajevo, the capital of the Muslim-Croat Federation, and the Serb Republika Srpska, comprise post-war Bosnia.

Source: AFP