Search for the missing American soldiers in Lithuania continues with the work of the crews to extract the car

On Friday, the President of Lithuania visited Swampland near his country’s borders with Belarus, saying that he was “hoped to obtain a miracle” as military and civil rescue crews worked in a feverish in a fever Four American soldiers This disappeared in the water forest area on Tuesday.

The American car, M88 HerculesDuring a military training exercise and found on Wednesday in a muddy quagmire. The soldiers were not found, and the efforts made to reach the car were hindered by the deep clay and water from a nearby lake.

A Litani official involved in the rescue mission, which was not allowed to publicly talk about the issue, indicated that the paths on the ground indicate that the American car deviated by sand towards a small pool and then suddenly turned into a wooded area that ended up to be a quagmire. The person said he seemed to drown quickly, but it was not clear to the crew.

“Although many skeptics may say that there is nothing to be hoped for in these circumstances, I want to hope,” President Gitanas Nazida from Lithuania said during a visit to the site on Friday. “I still hope for a miracle,” he added.

The missing soldiers, from the first brigade, the Third Infantry Division, were training near Babadi, a city in Eastern Lithuania near the border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia and a strong supporter of the Moscow war in Ukraine.

Belarus and Russia Lithuania, a member of NATO who was part of the Soviet Union, have often criticized to host American forces and other allies.

Amid an increasing warning in Lithuania and other communist countries previously in Eastern Europe, President Trump will weaken the NATO coalition, and the joint joint efforts to restore the missing American soldiers by the Lituanian and American rescue crews have offered what Mr. NaUUUUSEDA said on Friday that it is the value of allies who behave together. Poland, Lithuania and another member of NATO, also sent military engineers to help.

“Such minutes, such circumstances,” said the Lithuanian President, “He only stressed our strength when we are together, when we are in the NATO alliance and feel the support of our friends.”

Mr. Trump and senior officials I showed this in recent weeks Europe’s security is not the first priority for the United States, which wants to focus resources on its own, engineering and surrounding borders, as China has become a competitor from peers.

Mr. Trump suggested this month It may not protect Washington NATO members, who are believed to pay enough for their defense, described it as a “sound sense”.

Whether the disaster in Lithuania will enhance the administration’s opinion that the United States is paying a very high price to defend Europe or help to convince it that European allies remain their weight to be seen.

The US Army, in a Chest On Thursday, Lithuania praised her efforts to find missing soldiers.

“We incredibly appreciate the dedicated and professional efforts of our Lituanian allies in ensuring the safety of American employees.” “They have worked tirelessly to our side over the past 48 hours and we are still grateful for their support.”

The visit of the site on Friday was the US ambassador to Lithuania, Kara C. McDonald, who praised Lithuania, who rushed divers, military engineers and civil rescue crews to find and work to extract the sunken American military car.

The ambassador, describing Lithuania as an ideal American ally: “This place is a symbol of our alliance and the hand of the hand side by side, and shoulder to a shoulder, in the search for our missing soldiers.”

Mrs. McDonald said that a team of US military engineers arrived on Thursday evening and will be assisted in the rescue operation by the naval engineers who were expected to arrive on Friday afternoon.

The overwhelming M88 Hercules game, a giant armored cloud truck, disappeared on Tuesday after it was sent to extract another army vehicle that became disabled during the training exercise, according to the army.

“Because of the terrain, this is an incredibly complex engineering effort,” said Migor Robin Bruce, the first armored band engineer, in the army statement. He added: “The team explores every option available to accelerate this process.”

Lithuania’s defense minister, Dofil Sakalin, told the local media that the country’s fire and rescue service had worked overnight to pump water from the swamp but did not reveal the car, which she said was buried at least five yards under the surface. She added that a great Dredger will join the effort later on Friday.