A photo of a Mi-8 helicopter in Pabradė, Lithuania. Photo:
Sean Gallup/Getty
Four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing during a training incident in Lithuania have died, according to officials.
Authorities discovered a submerged M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle that the missing soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were using during the scheduled tactical training, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a news release on Wednesday, March 26.
The agency said the vehicle was found in a “body of water” in the training area after a search by the U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and other Lithuanian authorities. The exact location where the vehicle was discovered has not been confirmed, and the victims’ bodies have not been recovered at this time.
The soldiers were all based at Fort Stewart, Ga., an agency spokesperson previously confirmed to PEOPLE on Wednesday.
The discovery comes after NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed the soldiers’ deaths in a Wednesday press conference at the Warsaw School of Economics, The Guardian and Reuters reported.
“We do not know the details, but obviously this is really terrible news, and our thoughts are with families and loved ones,” Rutte said.
Earlier on Wednesday, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa said in a press release that a search was underway for the soldiers who disappeared near the city of Pabradė.
A photo of a Puma vehicle and a Eurocopter Tiger helicopter near Pabradė, Lithuania. Sean Gallup/Getty
“A search is being conducted by U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuanian law enforcement and others. Search and recovery efforts are underway,” officials said.
According to Lithuanian news outlet Delfi, police received a report at 4:45 p.m. local time on Tuesday, March 25, regarding the missing soldiers and a vehicle.
Amid the ongoing search and recovery efforts, Lieutenant General Costanza, the V Corps commanding general, said he would “like to personally thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations.”
“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,” he added.
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Major Gintautas Ciunis of the Lithuanian Armed Forces told the Lithuanian news agency ELTA that “the possible location of the incident has been identified, search and rescue are underway,” Delfi reported.
The military said that “Lithuanian and foreign troops, as well as helicopters of the Air Force and the State Border Guard Service were deployed” on Tuesday, according to the report.
