Four US soldiers have sunk into a swamp with an M-88 tracked recovery vehicle while returning from the Lithuanian Army training ground in Pabrade after planned tactical exercises.
A nighttime search and rescue operation is underway at the site.
"Both Lithuanian and US troops, as well as representatives of other agencies involved in the operation, will have to work tonight. "If necessary, the work will continue without interruption throughout the night," said the Baltic republic's Defense Minister Dovile Šakalene, who quickly arrived at the scene, live on national television LRT.
According to the minister, the search and rescue operation is technically very complex. "We may have to use more heavy equipment," she said.
"We cannot confirm the deaths of the soldiers. When we receive enough facts, we will confirm them," the minister said.
It is assumed that the four are in the M-88 tracked recovery vehicle, which they left the training ground with on Tuesday evening.
On Wednesday, after a lengthy search and rescue operation involving helicopters, the vehicle was found in a swamp. The M-88 is based on the Abrams tank and is comparable in weight to it, making it difficult to drive in difficult road conditions.
The perimeter of the accident site is under guard. Media representatives are not allowed to enter there. Citing their sources, they claim that the M-88 overturned.
At the moment, the Pentagon is not ready to confirm the information about the death of the four American servicemen, the official representative of the US Army said.
The Pentagon confirmed that an M88 armored rescue vehicle had been found. The armored vehicle was found "in a body of water in the training area", the US Army said in a statement.