Vilnius (AFP) – The last of the four American soldiers who went missing in Lithuania last week was on Tuesday also found dead, the US Army said, without providing additional details. The three other soldiers were found dead on Monday after rescuers recovered their M88 Hercules armoured vehicle from a swamp. Hundreds of local and foreign troops and others including engineers and divers had been involved in the operation.
Lithuanian authorities received a report last Tuesday that the soldiers went missing during a military drill at a training ground in the eastern city of Pabrade, near the border with Belarus. “The fourth US Army Soldier…was found deceased near Pabrade, Lithuania the afternoon of April 1,” US Army Europe and Africa’s public affairs office said in a statement. “The Soldier’s identity is being withheld pending confirmation of notification of next of kin,” it added. The army did not specify where exactly the soldier was found.
Hundreds of people gathered at the US embassy in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on Tuesday evening to pay their respects to the four soldiers, who had been in Lithuania for two months. Carrying US flags, people laid flowers, lit candles and held a minute of silence for the soldiers. Lithuania’s defence ministry expressed “deep sorrow” over the death. “We extend our condolences to the families of all four soldiers lost in this tragic accident and thank all those involved in the search efforts,” it added on social network X.
US defence secretary Pete Hegseth thanked the “brave servicemembers who enabled this difficult recovery and to our Lithuanian hosts.” “The recovery was conducted with urgency, resolve and deep respect for the fallen,” he said on X. “We will never forget these soldiers — and our prayers are with their families.” Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, hosts more than 1,000 American troops stationed on a rotational basis.
© 2024 AFP
