Found in Lithuania the bodies of three American soldiers, one is missing

The tragic end of a military exercise in Lithuania. Three of the four US soldiers who disappeared last week during tactical training at a military training ground in Rabradė were found dead after almost a week of search. The fourth soldier remains missing, the search campaign continues, reports USA Today.

The soldiers participated in March 25. In March, they attended the towing of a corrupt military vehicle when their armored ambulance M88 Hercules drowned in a swampy area – a deep peat in the east of Lithuania, near the Belarus border, writes Cbs. The US and Lithuanian armies tracked down the day after the accident, but it was captured under more than four meters of water, mud and dense sediment, which made the rescue difficult, according to Reuters.

A six -day rescue operation

An extremely demanding rescue campaign was led by the US Army with the help of Lithuanian and Polish forces and hundreds of domestic and foreign rescuers. Lithuanian armed forces included helicopters, drones, divers, engineering units and heavy construction machinery in the operation. Hundreds of tons of gravel and land were brought to the field to consolidate access paths to the sunken vehicle, writes Guardian.

The Navy Divers succeeded in extremely difficult conditions on Sunday night, without any visibility, to connect the steel to 63-ton M88 Hercules. After about two hours, they pulled the vehicle with towing machines from the peat on Monday in the morning, reports in the report.

« Our heart is broken, sadness spreads throughout the division – both in the posted units and at home, » said Major General Christopher Norrie, commander 3. Infantry division. « But the search is not over until we find the last soldier, » he added in a press release.

Search for a fourth soldier continues

The US Navy has reported that sonars and radar systems are systematically investigating the peat area. The diving team drew the search area and insists on challenging conditions, writes USA Today. The search campaign is running continuously.

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda on network X expressed condolences to the president Donald Trump And the US public: “Lithuania mourns with the American nation. In these difficult moments, our thoughts with families of fallen soldiers and all the residents of the United States are, « he wrote.

The cause of the accident is not yet known

The US and Lithuanian armies have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the event. According to initial data, the peatland in the area is extremely unstable and can become a deadly trap at sudden load. Even experienced soldiers can underestimate the danger hiding under the surface of seemingly solid land, writes Reuters.

Three of the four US soldiers who disappeared last week during tactical training at a military training ground in Rabradė were found dead after almost a week of search. Photo: Lithuanian Army/Reuters

Major General Curtis TaylorCommander of the Task Force Iron Operation, emphasized the courage of everyone involved in the search: “I am grateful for the heroic effort of all teams, especially our Lithuanian allies who stood with us at the moment. This is a proof of unwavering cooperation between our countries. «