An American armored personnel carrier that went missing in Lithuania has been recovered from a swamp area after a six-day search, but there is no information yet on the fate of the four U.S. soldiers on board, Lithuanian authorities said.
“The armored personnel carrier was lifted to shore at 4:40 a.m., the towing operation is complete, Lithuanian military police and investigators from the United States continue their work,” Defense Minister Dovilė Sakaliienė said on Facebook on Monday morning.
The soldiers were conducting training at the General Silvestras Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade when the group and their vehicle went missing early Tuesday morning, according to the U.S. Army.
“Until investigators have more specific information, we must remain calm and focused, and take into account the sensitivity of the situation and the concerns of the soldiers’ families,” Ms. Sakaliene wrote on Facebook.
She told reporters that the US Army would provide the first information about the fate of the soldiers.
All soldiers from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division went missing during a tactical exercise.
Hundreds of Lithuanian and American troops and rescuers were involved in the search in the dense forests and marshy terrain around Pabrade, just 10 kilometers (six miles) west of the border with Belarus.
The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was discovered on Wednesday in 4.5 meters (15 feet) of water.
A massive recovery operation began, but “water, thick mud and soft soil around the site complicated recovery efforts and required specialized water drainage and soil stabilization equipment” to lift the 70-ton vehicle to shore, the army said.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
