The four members of the Romanian SMURD crew, who died in the tragic helicopter crash in Cantemir district four years ago, were commemorated on June 2. A service was held at the memorial complex in Haragâș village and flowers were laid there, IPN reports.

“We do not want to have more such events. At the same time, we should know that the heroes never die as they live through us, through those who can remember their deeds,” Romania’s Ambassador in Chisinau Daniel Ioniță stated for the press.

In memory of the crew, a group of priests of the Bessarabian Metropolitan Church officiated at a religious ceremony. The officials spoke about the courage, devotion and sacrifice made to save lives and about the dedication of the crew on its last rescue mission. They also spoke about the aeromedical operations for saving Moldovan citizens.

The SMURD project was launched in Moldova in 2014, when an agreement on mutual assistance for transfrontier interventions in medical emergencies was signed.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, the SMURD teams until now offered Moldova assistance in complex missions to provide qualified first aid, intensive care, extrication and rescue services. There were performed about 13,500 terrestrial operations on Moldova’s territory, 89 aeromedical operations and 35 transfrontier interventions to conduct missions with assisted medical transport in order to repatriate citizens from outside the country’s borders.

The tragedy in Haragâș happened on June 2, 2016. The crew consisting of the pilot, co-pilot, a doctor and an assistant died. The helicopter was flying to Cahul district to take a patient.