Commemoration on the Anniversary of the Hejce Tragedy

Twelve years ago, on 19 January 2006 an An-24 military aircraft of the Slovak air force took off from Pristina, the KFOR mission with 43 persons aboard. According to plans, it should have landed in Kosice in the evening hours, but it never reached its destination. The air traffic controllers lost contact with the aircraft half an hour after its entering the Hungarian airspace some minutes after 19:00. While still flying in the area of Hungary, the plane crashed into the 800-meter-high Borsó Hill, near Hejce. Altogether 34 peacekeepers and the eight-man crew of the An-24 lost their lives in the tragedy. The only survivor of the disaster was an officer, 1st Lt. Martin Farkas who sustained some minor injuries. The same year, representatives of the Hungarian and Slovak ministries of defence erected a granite memorial stone, and after one year they created a memorial site on Borsó-Hill with wooden carved posts, while at Hejce a monument was inaugurated as a memento of the tragedy. Traditionally, on the anniversary of the disaster, the top-level leaders of the two nations’ ministries of defence and armed forces jointly pay tribute to the memory of the victims.

In the morning of 19 January 2018, at the site of the Borsó-Hill tragedy, Minister of Defence of Hungary Dr. István Simicskó, Minister of Defence of Slovakia Peter Gajdos, Hungarian Chief of Defence General Dr. Tibor Benkő and General Milan Maxim, the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovak armed forces jointly laid the wreaths of remembrance at the memorial stone, and then they participated in a Holy Mass celebrated for the eternal bliss of the victims in the Roman Catholic church of Hejce. Speaking at the central memorial in Hejce, Minister of Defence Dr. István Simicskó said that although he had been present, for several years, at the commemorations held on the anniversary of the tragedy, he always attends them with shock of grief. “The people of Slovakia and Hungary have overcome many collective trials and challenges. We are connected by a lot of things – and unfortunately, the 2006 tragedy is also among them", the minister pointed out, and then continued with addressing the relatives and emphasizing the power of faith. “Twelve years ago 42 brave men received an unexpected call-up to God’s army, in which only the best ones serve. We, Slovaks and Hungarians must jointly promote the victory of this heavenly army", Dr. István Simicskó said.

In his commemorative speech, Slovak Minister of Defence Peter Gajdos pointed out that the soldiers who lost their lives in the disaster had performed their duties as peacekeepers by the highest professional standards, in an exemplary way. “The joy of the work well done, however, turned into grief in no time, changing the lives of their relatives forever. To them, and to the Republic of Slovakia, Hejce will forever remain the symbol of grief", Peter Gajdos said, and expressed thanks to the Hungarian Defence Forces and the residents of Hejce for the help they had provided in the days of the air disaster.

At the commemoration, the relatives of the victims said that after the tragedy, the leaders and locals of Hejce had done their best to help the work of the rescue team. Since then, the inhabitants of the village have preserved the dead soldiers’ memory, taken care of the memorials and helped the relatives in every way. As they said, they owe them gratitude for their humanity and exemplary attitude, and consider the people of Hejce as close friends.

Photo: Tünde Rácz