Four US soldiers disappeared during a training mission in Lithuania, prompting them to search for the vehicle.
Soldiers from the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division were conducting scheduled tactical training in a training area near Pavlade, a city in eastern Lithuania near the border with Belarus, the US military said.
The US military was searching for soldiers by US forces, Lithuanian troops and Lithuanian law enforcement officers, adding that “search and recovery efforts are underway.”
According to US Army officials in Europe, the four soldiers were in M88 recovery vehicles.
They had been sent back to take another heavy vehicle, but they may have driven them off the road into the swamp, officials said. The soldiers appeared to be trapped inside as the M88s submerged, officials said.
Lithuanian forces said American soldiers and their vehicles were reported missing around 4:45pm on Tuesday. It said Air Force helicopters and other resources are being used to search for “potential accident sites” in the publade training area.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian troops and first responders who came to our aid soon in our search work,” Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, commander of the US Army troops operating along the eastern flank of NATO, said in a statement Wednesday. “This kind of teamwork and support exemplifies our partnership and the importance of humanity, regardless of which flag you place on your shoulder.”
The US military is often a Ukrainian NATO member in the war with Russia and is a solid ally in Lithuania. Many of these exercises take place in the Publade training area, involving soldiers from Lithuania and other NATO allies. Nearby Belarus is an intimate ally of Russia.
