Rescue teams in Lithuania successfully recovered a military vehicle that had sunk deep into the mud during a training exercise, though the whereabouts of the four missing U.S. soldiers remain uncertain, officials confirmed on Monday.
Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile Sakaliene announced that the nearly 70-ton tank was extracted from a swamp at the Pabrade training site overnight, with the assistance of armoured vehicles and heavy machinery.
Top general Raimundas Vaiksnoras also confirmed in a Facebook post the completion of the recovery of the U.S. Army's M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle.
It remains unconfirmed whether the missing soldiers were in the vehicle. "I ask for everyone's respect and solidarity as we await further information from our U.S. colleagues. Thank you all for working together," Vaiksnoras wrote.
The four U.S. soldiers went missing last Tuesday after an exercise during which, according to the U.S., they were carrying out planned tactical training.
The Lithuanian military and police then launched a joint search operation with the U.S. military.
This eventually led to their tank being located in a swampy body of water on the training ground. The Pabrade training ground is not far from the border with Belarus.
