Three American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania were found dead on Monday, while a search is ongoing for a fourth soldier, the Baltic country’s president and the U.S. army have said.
The troops disappeared last Tuesday when their vehicle crashed into a deep swamp and sank.
Three of the four have been found dead at the site in the Pabradė military training area, eastern Lithuania, said President Gitanas Nausėda.
The U.S. Army Europe and Africa command said in a statement that the troops went missing in their Hercules armored recovery vehicle while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle.
It added: “Search and recovery operations continue for the remaining fourth Soldier.”
President Nausėda wrote on social media platform X: “It is with deep sadness and sorrow that I received the news of the tragic loss of three U.S. soldiers.”
"Lithuania mourns together with the American nation," he said.
Nausėda added the search and rescue operation would continue until the fourth soldier had been found.
Three of the four have been found dead at the site in the Pabradė military training area, eastern Lithuania, said President Gitanas Nausėda.
The U.S. Army Europe and Africa command said in a statement that the troops went missing in their Hercules armored recovery vehicle while conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilized tactical vehicle.
It added: “Search and recovery operations continue for the remaining fourth Soldier.”
President Nausėda wrote on social media platform X: “It is with deep sadness and sorrow that I received the news of the tragic loss of three U.S. soldiers.”
"Lithuania mourns together with the American nation," he said.
Nausėda added the search and rescue operation would continue until the fourth soldier had been found.
Rescue mission
A painstaking multinational rescue mission including helicopters and border guards was launched for the soldiers when they were reporting missing, according to the Lithuanian armed forces.
The U.S. army brought in divers, troops and engineers from other bases, along with specialist equipment.
The Lithuanian military supplied helicopters, planes, drones, and search and rescue teams along with excavators, pumps, heavy construction equipment, technical experts, and hundreds of tons of gravel and earth to aid in the recovery efforts.
The soldiers, permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were deployed to Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a mission launched to deter potential Russian aggression against NATO states after Moscow’s troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The U.S. military has a significant presence in parts of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states. The Pabradė base, located near Lithuania’s border with Belarus, is home to around 1,000 troops deployed on a rotational basis since 2019.
The U.S. army brought in divers, troops and engineers from other bases, along with specialist equipment.
The Lithuanian military supplied helicopters, planes, drones, and search and rescue teams along with excavators, pumps, heavy construction equipment, technical experts, and hundreds of tons of gravel and earth to aid in the recovery efforts.
The soldiers, permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were deployed to Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, a mission launched to deter potential Russian aggression against NATO states after Moscow’s troops invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The U.S. military has a significant presence in parts of Eastern Europe, including the Baltic states. The Pabradė base, located near Lithuania’s border with Belarus, is home to around 1,000 troops deployed on a rotational basis since 2019.
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