U.S. soldiers still missing in Lithuania, vehicle in peat bog

Rescuers on Thursday dug deep into swampy ground while searching for four American soldiers who went missing during a training exercise in Europe. Lithuanian and U.S. Army engineers were creating berms to help drain water and excavate mud from the site where the soldiers’ vehicle was found submerged on Wednesday, the Army said. The armored M88 Hercules tow vehicle was 16 feet below ground level in a peat bog, NBC reported.

The soldiers went missing in the early morning hours of March 25 during a scheduled exercise in the Pabradė Training Range. They are all members of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.

What did Lithuania say about the incident? Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė on Wednesday said searchers were working around the clock and emergency medical support was on standby.

Are the soldiers alive? NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart on Wednesday said their fate was still unknown, correcting previous comments by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Rutte earlier on Wednesday said the soldiers had died.

Why were U.S. soldiers training in Lithuania? NATO member Lithuania regularly hosts American troops on a rotation as part of the U.S. Atlantic Resolve operation, which began in 2014 as a response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.