Day of mourning observed in Serbia, Republika Srpska Sunday

BELGRADE - Serbia and Republika Srpska are observing a day of mourning on Sunday for the seven people killed in the crash of a helicopter that was rescuing a five-day-old baby whose life was in danger.

A three-day period of mourning has been declared in Novi Pazar, the hometown of the killed baby, anaesthesiologist Dzevad Ljajic and anaesthetist Miroslav Veselinovic, and all events have been cancelled.

A Mi-17 transport helicopter crashed at 10.30 pm on March 13 near the Belgrade airport amid foggy weather that caused several international flights to be rerouted that night.

The crash killed the four crew members - pilot Major Omer Mehic, pilot Captain Milovan Djukelic, Ensign Nebojsa Trajic and flight engineer Ensign Ivan Miladinovic, all from the 204th Air Force Brigade of the Serbian Armed Forces.

At Sunday's commemoration, family members, colleagues, top state officials and friends bid farewell to them.
"They were heroes, always among the first and where they were needed the most," said Air Force and Air Defence Commander Major-General Ranko Zivak.

They particularly demonstrated their humaneness and patriotism by rescuing those endangered by the catastrophic floods that hit Serbia last year, he said.

Photo Tanjug/R.Prelic