NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he did not yet know the details.
A U.S. official would say only that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on the status of the soldiers.
Rutte said during a trip to Warsaw that he had received word of the deaths of the four soldiers and that his thoughts were with their families and with the United States.
“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 told reporters in Warsaw.
The U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and Lithuanian law enforcement were searching for the soldiers Wednesday morning, according to U.S. Army Europe and Africa.
All four are part of 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, and were undergoing training “at the time of the incident,” the Army said in a statement. The training site is the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area near Pabrade, north of the capital Vilnius, Lithuania.
The four soldiers, as well as one tracked vehicle, were first reported missing Tuesday afternoon, according to a statement from the Lithuanian Armed Forces.
“I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza, the V Corps commanding general, said in the U.S. Army’s statement.
“It’s this kind of teamwork and support that exemplifies the importance of our partnership and our humanity regardless of what flags we wear on our shoulders.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
@U.S Army Times