U.S. and Lithuanian troops are still working to recover four missing American soldiers after their armored vehicle became submerged in a swamp during a training mission near Pabradė, Lithuania.
The soldiers, from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, went missing early Tuesday while operating an M88 Hercules recovery vehicle. They were on a scheduled maintenance mission to retrieve another Army vehicle in the General Silvestras Žukauskas training area, about 10 kilometers from the Belarus border.
The vehicle was found Wednesday, submerged under 15 feet of water and mud in a swampy area connected to a lake. Recovery crews have not yet reached the vehicle’s interior.
“The area around the site is incredibly wet and marshy and doesn’t support the weight of the equipment,” U.S. Army Europe and Africa said Friday. “Draining the area has been slow and difficult due to ground water seepage.”
To access the vehicle, crews have brought in a slurry pump, cranes, more than 30 tons of gravel, and experts from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Excavators are removing silt to identify attachment points for extraction. The site is also located over a pressurized gas pipeline, adding increased risk to the operation.
Hundreds of U.S. and Lithuanian troops, along with helicopters and dive teams, joined the initial search. The Polish military has sent 150 personnel and additional equipment to support the effort. A U.S. Navy dive crew is also being deployed.
“This will be a long and difficult recovery operation, but we are absolutely committed to bringing our soldiers home,” said Maj. Gen. Curtis Taylor, commander of the 1st Armored Division.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda visited the site Friday. “I am still hoping for a miracle,” he said.
The names of the missing soldiers, all based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, have not been released. The Army has not yet confirmed their status.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė said the country committed all available resources from its armed forces and internal affairs institutions as soon as the incident occurred. “From helicopters with thermal vision to forces on the ground, we are continuing very intensely,” she told Fox News Digital in an interview Thursday.
As of Thursday afternoon, there was no confirmation on whether the missing soldiers were inside the vehicle or had escaped before it submerged. “Maybe they were lost, confused, hurt or in hypothermic condition, and we haven’t found them yet,” Šakalienė said. “But we are not losing hope until the very last moment. These are strong soldiers, strong, grown men. All scenarios are possible.”
Poland has also joined the search effort. Deputy Prime Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed via social media that a Polish task force with heavy equipment and divers was urgently en route to Lithuania to assist.
No timeline has been given for when the vehicle will be recovered.
