Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalienė says that although the search and rescue operation for the missing American soldiers is not going as well as they would like, rescuers will do everything to complete it.
"The operation is very difficult, but we will do it to the end. Our soldiers with JAV "And Polish soldiers — we will overcome this," the minister emphasized on Facebook.
"Therefore, I urge you to be with the rescuers in your thoughts and support them, because they are currently trying to do impossible things," D. Šakalienė urged not to give up.
ELTA reminds that on Tuesday, at 16.45:XNUMX p.m., a report was received about United States (US) soldiers and a tracked vehicle missing during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė.
On Wednesday, the military said that a possible location of the incident had been identified and a search and rescue operation was underway. It is being led by the military, with additional resources from the Fire and Rescue Department (FRD) and other institutions. Helicopters from the Air Force and the State Border Guard Service (SBS) have been activated.
On Wednesday afternoon, the US military confirmed that an M88 Hercules tracked vehicle submerged in a swamp had been found.
The US Embassy says the missing are from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
Lithuanian officials insist that all versions regarding the fate of the soldiers are currently being investigated - their bodies have not been found.
On Wednesday NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the deaths of four US soldiers in Lithuania, but his spokeswoman soon clarified this information, insisting that the Alliance leader was talking about "news reports that have emerged" but did not confirm the deaths.
Karolina Konopackienė (ELTA)
