VILNIUS: The vehicle of four United States soldiers missing in Lithuania was discovered submerged in a body of water on Wednesday, the US army said, adding that search efforts for the soldiers were ongoing.

The soldiers went missing during a military drill on a training ground in the Baltic country’s east.

Lithuanian and foreign troops, along with helicopters from the air force and the state border guard service, were deployed to search for the soldiers.

“The M88 Hercules armoured recovery vehicle the four missing US soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania,” the US Army’s public affairs office said in a statement.

“The vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area... Recovery efforts are underway,” it said.

“Search efforts for the soldiers continue,” it added.

Nato also said the “four are still missing, but their vehicle was found”, responding to earlier reports quoting alliance chief Mark Rutte.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2025