Efforts continue to find the fourth missing soldier while investigations into the cause of the accident are ongoing.
**Missing Soldiers Found: Tragic Discovery in Lithuania Swamp**
**Missing Soldiers Found: Tragic Discovery in Lithuania Swamp**
Bodies of three US soldiers located after an extensive recovery operation following military training.
Authorities have confirmed that the bodies of three US soldiers, missing for six days, have been retrieved from a swampy area near Pabradė, Lithuania, where they were participating in military drills. As search operations continue for a fourth soldier, Major General Christopher Norrie expressed profound grief, emphasizing, "The soldiers we lost in this tragedy were part of our family."
The search efforts, involving US Army, Navy, and allied Lithuanian and Polish forces, have utilized significant resources, as highlighted in the US Army's statement. The four soldiers disappeared on March 25 while operating an M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, tasked with a mission to tow a disabled tactical vehicle.
On March 26, the vehicle was located submerged in a bog near the Belarus border. The recovery proved challenging, requiring divers to secure lines to the vehicle through thick mud and low visibility. As additional equipment was brought in to assist, including bulldozers and heavy excavators, the operation was complicated when part of the recovery apparatus began to sink into the bog as well.
A mass was held in Vilnius on Sunday with military and government officials in attendance to honor the deceased soldiers. The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, extended condolences to the American people and the families affected by the tragedy. The soldiers belonged to the 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed in Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to bolster regional security in response to the ongoing conflict involving Russia.
Identification of the deceased is pending notification of next of kin, while authorities from both Lithuania and the US Army are investigating the circumstances leading to the accident.
The search efforts, involving US Army, Navy, and allied Lithuanian and Polish forces, have utilized significant resources, as highlighted in the US Army's statement. The four soldiers disappeared on March 25 while operating an M88A2 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, tasked with a mission to tow a disabled tactical vehicle.
On March 26, the vehicle was located submerged in a bog near the Belarus border. The recovery proved challenging, requiring divers to secure lines to the vehicle through thick mud and low visibility. As additional equipment was brought in to assist, including bulldozers and heavy excavators, the operation was complicated when part of the recovery apparatus began to sink into the bog as well.
A mass was held in Vilnius on Sunday with military and government officials in attendance to honor the deceased soldiers. The President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, extended condolences to the American people and the families affected by the tragedy. The soldiers belonged to the 1st Armoured Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed in Lithuania as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve, which aims to bolster regional security in response to the ongoing conflict involving Russia.
Identification of the deceased is pending notification of next of kin, while authorities from both Lithuania and the US Army are investigating the circumstances leading to the accident.
