Search operations persisted into Thursday for the four absent U.S. troops close to the Belarus frontier in Lithuania following the discovery of their submerged vehicle one day prior.
The M88 Hercules armored vehicle was found submerged over five meters deep. Afterward, sufficient water was pumped out to allow excavation work to commence, as stated by Lithuania’s Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė.
She stated that "every scenario remains plausible" concerning the soldiers' situation, since it had not been verified if they were still within the vehicle.
The Lithuanian national broadcasting company, LRT, reported that four U.S. servicemen along with their vehicle went missing on Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training area in Pabradė, a town situated less than 10 kilometers from the Belarus frontier.
Šakalienė stated that rescue operations persisted through the night, involving water extraction and stabilization of the terrain to allow heavy machinery to reach the area safely without compromising a neighboring gas line.
Lithuanian authorities characterize the search and rescue mission as extremely intricate, involving "hundreds of individuals," such as Lithuanian and U.S. service members, multiple governmental organizations, and private enterprises.
The US Ambassador to Lithuania, Kara McDonald, stated, "We will continue our efforts until our service members are located," and expressed gratitude to the Lithuanian government and officials for their assistance in the search operation.
"Lithuania serves as an exemplary ally, and we are immensely thankful for their assistance," she stated.
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, which gained their independence from the Soviet Union in 1990 and subsequently became part of NATO, frequently experience strained relationships with both Russia and Belarus.
Tensions escalated even more after Russia initiated a large-scale assault on Ukraine in 2022, with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda emerging as one of the strongest voices among European leaders advocating for Ukraine’s fight against Russian troops.
