At the initiative of the Italian Embassy in Sarajevo, the traditional ceremony commemorating the LYRA34 crew members – who were killed as the aircraft was shot down on 3 September 1992, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while carrying out a humanitarian mission – took place on Mount Zec, near Fojnica, in the Canton of Sarajevo.
The ceremony, which this year marked the 30th anniversary of the tragic event, was attended by the soldiers’ family members. The Minister of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sifet Podzic was in attendance too. He and the Italian Ambassador, Marco Di Ruzza, laid a floral wreath at the monument commemorating the victims. Ambassador Di Ruzza pointed out that the sacrifice of the Italian military represents a shining example of dedication to service and unconditional commitment to bringing peace and security to crisis areas. He then recalled the extraordinary “river of solidarity” that, both from the institutional sphere and from civil society, flowed from Italy to Bosnia-Herzegovina during the war to help the population.
On that day, the aircraft was flying from Split to Sarajevo, under UN mandate; its task was to transport medical supplies and humanitarian aid to the local population under siege. Roughly eight minutes before landing, the aircraft was hit by surface-to-air missiles, causing it to explode in flight and crash at the top of Mount Zec. Major Pilot Marco Betti, Lieutenant Pilot Marco Rigliaco, flight engineer, Warrant Officer Giuseppe Buttaglieri and electronic engineer, Warrant Officer Giuliano Velardi, all lost their lives and were later awarded the Gold Medal of Military Valour.
