Croatia helicopter crash: Coffins of Hungarian victims taken home

The coffins of the three Hungarian soldiers who died in a military helicopter crash in central Croatia last week were received with military honours at a ceremony at an army base in Szolnok on Tuesday.

The soldiers, Captain Ádám Radnai, Lieutenant Dávid Konrád and Ensign Tamés Lőrincz, were on board the helicopter which crashed during an exercise in Croatia on June 21. We reported on the tragedy HERE.

Their coffins covered with the Hungarian national flag were taken to a hangar at the base in front of a line of servicemen paying a salute.

At the ceremony, Defence Minister Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky said “today is the day of mourning”, adding that the three Hungarian soldiers had died serving their country. He expressed on behalf of the government, the defence ministry and the Hungarian Armed Forces the deepest condolences to the families of the deceased.

An investigation into the circumstances of the crash is still ongoing, he said, noting that the site of the crash is “an extremely difficult terrain”. The results of the investigation will be released to the public once those are available, the minister said.

The ceremony was attended by the victims’ family members, Hungarian army chief Gábor Böröndi and local politicians.