Three of four missing US soldiers found dead

The bodies of three US soldiers who went missing in Lithuania have been found in a swamp. The search for a fourth soldier continues.

Three of the four US soldiers who went missing last week have been found dead in a swamp in Lithuania.

The four soldiers, whose identities have been withheld, went missing in their M88A2 Hercules armoured recovery vehicle during a military drill at a training ground in the eastern city Pabrade, near the border with Belarus last Tuesday.

They were conducting a mission to repair and tow an immobilised tactical vehicle at the time.

On Monday, search and rescue teams worked with heavy equipment and excavators to remove silt from the body of water where the vehicle had been located before eventually towing it out of the swamp after a six-day effort.

The four soldiers, who were travelling in an armoured vehicle, went missing during a military drill at a training ground. Picture: Petras Malukas/AFP

Search and rescue teams worked with heavy equipment and excavators to remove silt from the body of water. Picture: Petras Malukas/AFP

“Three US Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division were found deceased in Lithuania today, March 31,” US Army Europe and Africa’s public affairs office said in a statement.

It added that “search and recovery operations continue for the remaining fourth soldier”.

The soldiers’ identities were being “withheld pending notification of next of kin”, the statement said.

“The Soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just Soldiers – they were a part of our family,” aid the division’s commanding general Christopher Norrie.
“Our hearts are heavy with a sorrow that echoes across the whole Marne Division, both forward and at home.”

The division’s commanding general said “hearts are heavy with a sorrow”. Picture: Petras Malukas/AFP

The soldiers’ identities are being withheld. Picture: Petras Malukas/AFP

“But the search isn’t finished until everyone is home,” he added.

“Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found,” he said.

Hundreds of local and foreign troops and other rescue workers including engineers and divers had been involved in the rescue operation to recover the M88 Hercules armoured vehicle.

The soldiers had been deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve, military officials said. They were permanently stationed at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in the US.

Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, hosts more than 1,000 American troops stationed on a rotational basis.

The US Army and Lithuanian authorities are investigating the cause of the incident.

Originally published as Three of four missing US soldiers found dead