US Army confirms deaths of 3 missing servicemen in Lithuania, 1 still missing
Editor's note: The story has been updated with comments from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Three American servicemen who went missing during a training exercise in Lithuania have been found dead, the U.S. Army's Europe and Africa Command announced on March 31.
The soldiers and their tracked vehicle disappeared on March 25 during an exercise at a training ground near the Lithuanian city of Pabrade, located about 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border with Belarus. Pabrade hosts Camp Herkus, a U.S. military facility.
"Three are no longer with us and one is unfortunately probably in the same category, but they haven't declared that yet," U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 31 in the Oval Office.
Trump added that it "would seem that the bank of a lake collapsed" under the weight of the truck the soldiers were in.
"It's a massively heavy vehicle and if they slipped a little bit they… that's probably what happened, and it flipped," the U.S. president said.
The U.S. Army confirmed that the bodies were found on March 31. Their identities have not been disclosed as officials await notification of next of kin. A search operation remains underway for another missing American soldier.
"The U.S. Army and Lithuanian authorities are investigating the cause of the accident. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available," the statement reads.
An M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle was also reported missing alongside the soldiers and was later discovered submerged in a pond within the training area.
After the armored vehicle was lifted, the Lithuanian prosecutor's office announced that it had launched a preliminary investigation "to determine the cause of death."
Tim Zadorozhnyy
