Four US soldiers missing for two days in Lithuania
VILNIUS — The Lithuanian army says it is searching for four US soldiers missing for two days during drills in the Baltic state amid reports they had died.
The four soldiers and their tracked vehicle had gone missing on Tuesday afternoon near the border with Belarus, the military said earlier. The US Army said the vehicle had been found submerged in water.
The Lithuanian army said on X that a "rescue operation is intensively ongoing", and there was no evidence "confirming the death of the troops".
Nato chief Mark Rutte had earlier said he had been informed of their deaths, but added that he did not have further details.
Lithuanian and foreign troops, helicopters and state border guards have been deployed to search for the missing soldiers.
The soldiers had been training near Pabrade in eastern Lithuania with other Nato forces.
US Army Europe and Africa's public affairs office confirmed in its statement that the soldiers "were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident".
They added the soldiers were part of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
Lithuanian authorities received a report about the soldiers' disappearance on Tuesday afternoon.
"A possible scene has now been identified," the Lithuanian military said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.
"People (are) working round the clock. Everybody remains on standby, ready to provide emergency medical support," Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene said on X.
Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, hosts more than 1,000 American troops, who are stationed on a rotational basis.
"I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian armed forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations," said Lieutenant General Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general. — BBC
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