Lithuanian American armored vehicles pulled out of the swamp, but the fate of the four soldiers remains unknown
Vilnius, Lithuania (AP) – A US armored vehicle that has been missing in Lithuania has been retrieved from the swamp after a six-day search, but there is still no information on the fate of the four American soldiers on board, Lithuanian officials said Monday.
“The armored vehicle was driven on at 4:40 a.m., and the towing operation was complete, with Lithuanian military police and U.S. investigators continued to work,” Defense Minister Dovil ėšakalienė said in a Facebook post on Monday morning.
The U.S. Army said soldiers were training at the massive Sylvesteras Zikoskas training ground in Prablabrad town when they and their vehicles disappeared early Tuesday morning.
šakalienė posted on Facebook: “We need to stay calm and focused before investigators have more details and remember the sensitivity of the situation and the focus of the soldier’s family.”
She made it clear to reporters that the first message about the fate of the soldiers will be delivered by the U.S. Army.
The soldiers came from the 1st Brigade of the Third Infantry Division and were undergoing tactical training when they were missing.
Hundreds of Lithuanians and American soldiers and rescuers participated in the search, passing through thick forests and swampy terrain, Pabrad was located only 10 kilometers (6 miles) west of the border with Belarus. The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was found on Wednesday, immersed in 4.5 meters (15 feet) of water.
“The water around the site, thick mud and soft ground have complex restoration efforts and specialized equipment is required to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground” in order to pull the 70-ton vehicle to the shore.
