The search for four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing while on a training exercise in Lithuania has been reclassified from a rescue to a recovery mission, according to officials.
Lithuania’s minister of defense Dovile Sakaliene revealed the news on Thursday, which was later confirmed in a press release from the Army.
“Search and recovery efforts by U.S. and Lithuanian personnel have continued without pause,” the release stated.
It comes after the M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, which the men were operating at the time of their disappearance, was found submerged in water in a training area on Wednesday.
The soldiers have been missing since the early hours of Tuesday while conducting a maintenance mission to recover another U.S. Army vehicle in the training area.
The initial search effort through the thick forests and swampy terrain involved ground-based search parties from hundreds of U.S and Lithuanian Soldiers and law enforcement, Lithuanian military helicopters and diving teams.
“We are leveraging every available U.S. and Lithuanian asset to coordinate for and provide the required resources for this effort,” said U.S. Army Major General Curtis Taylor. “We are incredibly appreciative of the dedicated and professional efforts of our Lithuanian Allies in ensuring the safety of U.S. personnel.
“They have worked tirelessly alongside us over the last 48 hours and we continue to be grateful for their support.”
Water, thick mud and soft ground around the site have complicated recovery efforts and have required specialized equipment to drain water from the side and stabilize the ground, the Army said.
Engineers on site are working barriers built of dirt and sand from the nearby terrain in order to create an area from which water can be pumped and mud dredged, providing emergency personnel on site access to the vehicle.
“This tragic situation weighs heavily on all of us and we’re keeping the families, friends and teammates of our soldiers and recovery team in our thoughts and prayers,” Taylor added.
“We want everyone to know, we will not stop until our Soldiers are found.”
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Source: independent.co.uk