Latest news with #LithuanianMilitaryPolice
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
Mystery as US Army vehicle pulled from swamp in Lithuania but soldiers still missing
A US armoured vehicle, missing for six days, has been recovered from a Lithuanian swamp, but the fate of the four American soldiers on board remains unknown. The vehicle was retrieved early Monday morning, according to Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovilė Šakalienė. The soldiers disappeared along with their vehicle during a training exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė early last Tuesday, the US army confirmed. Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators are continuing their work at the scene. "The armored vehicle was pulled ashore at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators continue their work,' Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said Monday morning in a post on Facebook. Map of Pabradė: 'Until the investigators have more details, we need to stay calm and focused, and keep in mind the sensitivity of the situation and the concerns of the soldiers' families,' Šakalienė added. She made clear to reporters that the first information about fate of the soldiers will be delivered by the U.S. army. The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical training when they went missing. Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradė, which lies just 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was discovered on Wedneday submerged in 4.5 meters (15 feet) of water. A large-scale recovery operation got underway but 'water, thick mud and soft ground around the site have complicated recovery efforts and have required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground' in order to pull the 70-ton vehicle ashore, the army said. Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT originally reported that four soldiers and vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than six miles from the border with Belarus. The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all Nato members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
U.S. armored vehicle pulled from bog in Lithuania; Army to share update on missing troops
March 31 (UPI) -- A U.S. Army armored vehicle missing in Lithuania for six days with four American soldiers on board was pulled from a bog early Monday close to the border with Belarus, according to Lithuanian authorities. There was no immediate word about the fate of the missing military personnel. Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene in a social media post said Lithuanian Military Police and U.S. investigators were working at the scene after the 70-ton vehicle was winched free from beneath 15 feet of watery clay-like mud at a training ground near Pabrade, 30 miles northeast of Vilnius, at 4:30 a.m. local time. "I ask for patience and concentration until they can provide us with more information about the situation," she said, stressing that Lithuanian authorities would not be commenting regarding the men on board and the U.S. side would make a public statement when it had all the necessary information and only after informing the families of the soldiers. Sakaliene, who said it took two M88 Hercules-type recovery vehicles and two bulldozers six-and-half hours to pull out the armored vehicle, vowed that if the recovery of the armored vehicle did not provide all the answers to what happened, the work by the investigative teams would continue. The recovery was carried out after divers managed to locate tow points on the submerged vehicle and attach lines. Sakaliene appealed to the public and media to refrain from speculating. "Please understand the delicacy of the situation, let us be sensitive to the families of the soldiers, who need to learn the circumstances of the events from rescuers, not from the media," she said. "We are extremely grateful for the incredible work done by the Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers, the PAGD Fire and Rescue officers, the business employees and volunteers. To the countries that offered assistance and to those standing by to answer a call for assistance, as well." U.S. Army Europe and Africa personnel and Lithuanian authorities led a five-day international recovery effort after the vehicle disappeared Tuesday while taking part in a tactical training exercise, mounting a major engineering and logistical operation involving experts from remote underwater vehicle specialists to geologists. A U.S. Army Engineering Corps contingent and a 55-strong detachment of Polish military engineers packing more than a dozen tracked vehicles, including three M88-type recovery vehicles, joined the effort Friday, followed by a specialist U.S. Navy construction dive team on Saturday. The engineers worked to pump water away from the site and stabilize the surrounding ground to allow it to support the heavy plant required to winch out the armored vehicle while the U.S. divers deployed a remotely operated submersible and handheld sonar to locate "lift points" on the vehicle. The missing men are all believed to be from the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division, 1st Brigade, based out of Fort Stewart, Ga.
NBC News
31-03-2025
- NBC News
Fate of four missing U.S. soldiers still unknown as armored vehicle pulled from swamp in Lithuania
A U.S. armored vehicle that went missing in Lithuania has been retrieved from a swamp after a six-day search but there is still no information about the fate of the four American soldiers who were on board, Lithuanian officials said Monday. 'The armored vehicle was pulled ashore at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators continue their work,' Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said Monday morning in a post on Facebook. The soldiers were on a training exercise at the massive General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė when they and their vehicle were reported missing in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the U.S. army said. 'Until the investigators have more details, we need to stay calm and focused, and keep in mind the sensitivity of the situation and the concerns of the soldiers' families,' Šakalienė posted on Facebook. She made clear to reporters that the first information about fate of the soldiers will be delivered by the U.S. army. The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical training when they went missing. Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradė, which lies just 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was discovered on Wedneday submerged in 4.5 meters (15 feet) of water. A large-scale recovery operation got underway but 'water, thick mud and soft ground around the site have complicated recovery efforts and have required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground' in order to pull the 70-ton vehicle ashore, the army said.
Washington Post
31-03-2025
- Washington Post
US armored vehicle missing in Lithuania pulled from swamp but fate of 4 soldiers is still unknown
VILNIUS, Lithuania — A U.S. armored vehicle that went missing in Lithuania has been retrieved from a swamp after a six-day search but there is still no information about the fate of the four American soldiers who were on board, Lithuanian officials said Monday. 'The armored vehicle was pulled ashore at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators continue their work,' Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said Monday morning in a post on Facebook. The soldiers were on a training exercise at the massive General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in the town of Pabradė when they and their vehicle were reported missing in the early hours of Tuesday morning, the U.S. army said. 'Until the investigators have more details, we need to stay calm and focused, and keep in mind the sensitivity of the situation and the concerns of the soldiers' families,' Šakalienė posted on Facebook. She made clear to reporters that the first information about fate of the soldiers will be delivered by the U.S. army. The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting tactical training when they went missing. Hundreds of Lithuanian and U.S. soldiers and rescuers took part in the search through the thick forests and swampy terrain around Pabradė, which lies just 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was discovered on Wedneday submerged in 4.5 meters (15 feet) of water. A large-scale recovery operation got underway but 'water, thick mud and soft ground around the site have complicated recovery efforts and have required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground' in order to pull the 70-ton vehicle ashore, the army said.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Yahoo
US armored vehicle pulled from swamp but fate of 4 soldiers still unknown
Lithuanian officials provided an update on Monday on the soldiers from Fort Stewart who disappeared after a training exercise. They confirmed that crews pulled a U.S. armored vehicle from a swamp on Sunday after a six-day search. 'The armored vehicle was pulled ashore at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators continue their work,' Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] It's unclear though if the soldiers are inside the vehicle. The defense minister said updates on the soldiers' fate will come first from the U.S. Army. 'Until the investigators have more details, we need to stay calm and focused, and keep in mind the sensitivity of the situation and the concerns of the soldiers' families,' Šakalienė said. All of the soldiers are from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. They were conducting a training exercise in the town of Pabradė when they and their M88 Hercules armored vehicle were reported missing. The U.S. Army has not released the soldiers' names. TRENDING STORIES Severe storms with damaging wind gusts likely Monday; hail, brief spin-up tornado possible Gwinnett County man in Thailand suffered heart attack, then earthquake hit Body of GA woman who disappeared after crash discovered in deep well near her car The Associated Press contributed to this report. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
