Successful extraction of Hercules as search for US soldiers intensifies
The operation to retrieve the American armoured vehicle, Hercules, from the Lithuanian swamp was successful. Efforts continue to locate four American soldiers who went missing during the exercises.
The operation to retrieve the American armoured vehicle, Hercules, which had sunk in a Lithuanian swamp, was successful. Lithuania's Minister of Defence, Dovile Šakalienė, conveyed this information. The vehicle, utilised by four American soldiers, was extracted using two M88 armoured recovery vehicles and two bulldozers.
The operation to recover the vehicle was completed. Two M88 armoured recovery vehicles and two bulldozers were used for anchoring,” stated the head of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defence, as quoted by the Polish Press Agency.
Minister Šakalienė reported that the operation concluded at 3:30 AM Greenwich Time. The M88 Hercules armoured vehicle, weighing nearly 70,000 kilograms, sank in the swamp, which significantly increased its weight. On Sunday, divers managed to attach a steel cable to the vehicle, facilitating its extraction.
The Lithuanian military police and American investigators are currently present at the scene. There remains no information regarding the missing US soldiers. Minister Šakalienė appealed for patience, stressing that US authorities will be the first to disclose details about the missing personnel.
Search for the soldiers
Four American soldiers went missing on Tuesday during exercises at a training ground in Pabradė, near Lithuania's border with Belarus. Lithuanian and international military personnel, along with helicopters from the Lithuanian Air Force and State Border Guard Service, participated in the search and rescue operation. Rescuers from Poland also joined the efforts.
The vehicle was approximately 4 metres below the water's surface and beneath a 2-metre layer of mud. Extracting the vehicle was challenging but successful, thanks to international cooperation.
