Search Continues for Missing US Soldiers in Lithuania After Armored Vehicle Found Submerged

A frantic search continues for four US Army soldiers who went missing in Lithuania during a training exercise, after the armored recovery vehicle they were operating was discovered submerged in a body of water, Al Jazeera reports.

The US Army confirmed the discovery of the M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle in a statement released Wednesday.

“The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,” the statement read.

The news follows conflicting reports earlier in the day. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, Poland, stated that the four soldiers had died in an “incident,” expressing condolences to their families.

“This is still early news, so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones,” Rutte said.

However, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart subsequently clarified Rutte’s comments, apologizing for the confusion.

“The search is ongoing,” Hart stated in a post on X. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”

Lithuania’s military confirmed that the search for the four soldiers and the tracked vehicle, which went missing on Tuesday afternoon, is still actively underway.