March 26 (UPI) — Four U.S. Army soldiers are still missing near Pabrade, Lithuania, despite NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte saying they had died, but their tracked vehicle has been found.
Rutte earlier Wednesday told reporters in Warsaw, Poland, the four missing soldiers had died but said he didn’t have any other information regarding the matter, the Washington Post reported.
A NATO spokesperson afterward said Rutte only was repeating information he heard from media sources and the soldiers are still considered to be missing.
While the soldiers are still missing, the M88 Hercules tracked vehicle they were using has been found, officials for the U.S. Army Europe and Africa announced.
“The vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area,” but the search for the four missing soldiers continues, USAEA officials said.
Officials for the USAEA on Wednesday announced the four U.S. Army soldiers went missing on Tuesday and search-and-recovery efforts are underway near Pabrade, Lithuania.
The missing soldiers are with the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division and were participating in a tactical training exercise when they went missing from the training area near Pabrade, U.S. Army officials said.
Personnel with the U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Lithuanian law enforcement and others are conducting the search-and-rescue operation for the four unnamed soldiers.
“I would like to thank the Lithuanian Armed Forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations,” V Corps commander Lt. Gen. Charles Costanza said.
“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,” Costanza said.
The four soldiers are based in Fort Stewart in Georgia.
Lithuanian Armed Forces officials received notification of the four missing soldiers and a tracked vehicle at 4:45 p.m. local time Tuesday during the training exercise at the General Silvestra Zukauskas Training Area in Pabrade.
The search and rescue mission to locate the missing soldiers and their tracked vehicle includes helicopters of the Lithuanian Air Forces and State Border Guard and is led by the Lithuanian Armed Forces with help from the local Fire and Rescue Department and other institutions.
A potential accident site has been determined and is the focus of the search for the missing soldiers and vehicle.
Pabrade is located in eastern Lithuania near its border with Belarus and about 30 miles northeast of the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.