Vehicle of missing US soldiers recovered from swamp in Lithuania

ISTANBUL

The vehicle of the four US soldiers who went missing last Tuesday in Lithuania has been recovered from a swamp, the Lithuanian defense minister said Monday.

“Six days of hard work have yielded results. The armored vehicle has been recovered,” Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene wrote on Facebook.

She said Lithuanian military police and US investigators continue to work at the site and urged the public for “patience” and “concentration” while further details are awaited.

“You have patiently trusted the rescuers for so long, but now that trust is needed even more. Until the investigators have the knowledge, we need calm and focus – let us understand the delicacy of the situation and the sensitivity of the soldiers' families,” Sakaliene added.

She also underscored that the work would continue if the recovery of the vehicle does not provide all the answers.

No updates have been provided yet on the missing US soldiers.

They were reported missing last Tuesday during a routine training exercise in Pabrade, northeast of the capital Vilnius.

A multinational search effort led by Lithuanian authorities and US forces remains underway in the area, according to US Army Europe and Africa.

The soldiers’ vehicle was found submerged in water on Wednesday.

"Not only are we dealing with the terrain, a lot of mud that is over top of the vehicle, but also the fact that it's 70 tons that we're trying to recover out of a swamp or bog,” Brig. Gen. John Lloyd said in a statement Sunday.

US forces routinely participate in joint training exercises with NATO allies in Lithuania.