High Representative Christian Schmidt remembered the deaths of 12 colleagues from the OHR and the UN who died 24 years ago in a helicopter crash near Prokoško Lake, near Fojnica.

- We remain eternally grateful and will continue to cherish the memory of our beloved colleagues who died serving peace and working to rebuild Bosnia and Herzegovina: Peter Backes, Livio Beccaccio, Andrzej Buler, David Kriskovich, Leah Melnick, Charles Morpeth, William Nesbitt, Marvin Padgett, Thomas Reinhardt, Jurgen Schauf, Georg Stiebler and Ambassador Gerd Wagner. Today, we pay tribute to them once again, reaffirming the international community's strong commitment to Bosnia and Herzegovina - the High Representative said.

On September 17, 1997, twelve passengers were killed when their helicopter crashed in thick fog near Prokoško Lake. There were two delegations in the helicopter: five members of the OHR and seven members of the United Nations Mission. OHR officials were on their way to Bugojno to meet with local authorities and discuss key issues related to the implementation of the Peace Agreement.