A search and rescue operation continued in Lithuania on Wednesday for four US soldiers after their armored vehicle was found submerged at a training ground, the US Army said.
“The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,” the Army said in a statement.
The operation has been ongoing since Tuesday, when the soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division disappeared during scheduled tactical training at the Pabrade training area, approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the Belarus border.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte initially suggested during a visit to Warsaw that the soldiers had died, but the alliance later issued a clarification.
“The search is ongoing,” NATO said in a statement posted on social media. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”
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Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene, who visited the site late Wednesday, emphasized no bodies had been recovered.
“That’s why it would be wrong to say that the soldiers are dead,” she told reporters.
Lithuanian Chief of Defence Raimundas Vaiksnoras said rescue teams were exploring how quickly they could drain the swampy location where the vehicle was found. The search was expected to continue through the night with support from Lithuanian armed forces and civilian agencies.
“You all know how important is the presence of US troops in Lithuania. Their soldiers are like our soldiers to us. So we spare no effort to find them,” Vaiksnoras said.
President Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday evening he had not been briefed on the situation. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda expressed solidarity on social media.
US battalions have been stationed at the military camp since 2019 on a rotational basis. Lithuania has launched an investigation into the soldiers’ disappearance.
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