Four US Marines have died after their aircraft crashed during a large NATO training exercise in Norway.
The four soldiers had been flying an American MV-22 Osprey aircraft for the NATO exercise Cold Response when their plane came down on Friday, 18 March.
Norway's Armed Forces and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre of Northern Norway issued statements on Friday to confirm they were conducting a search for a missing aircraft that had failed to land at its destination.
Forsvaret, Norway's armed forces, said: "The Osprey belongs to the US Marine Corps and is taking part in the Norwegian military exercise Cold Response in Norway. The aircraft has a crew of four and was out on a training mission in Nordland County, northern Norway on Friday 18 March 2022."
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The aircraft had been en route to Bodø with a scheduled arrival time of just before 6:00pm local time. It was reported missing at 6:26pm, with its last known position being in south of Bodø
Search and rescue aircraft were launched to search for the missing plane but rescuers are said to have struggled due to 'challenging' weather conditions, Forsvaret's statement explained. Approximately three hours later, an apparent crash site was located.
Marine Corps spokesperson Maj. Jim Stenger stated that 'an incident has occurred involving a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft', adding: "The aircraft was conducting training in Norway as part of Exercise COLD RESPONSE 22 at the time of the incident."
The Norwegian armed forces confirmed police and rescue crews were on the way to the site, but on Saturday Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre confirmed the news of the soldiers' deaths on Twitter, writing: "It is with great sadness we have received the message that four American soldiers died in a plane crash last night. The soldiers participated in the NATO exercise Cold Response. Our deepest sympathies go to the soldiers' families, relatives and fellow soldiers in their unit."
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Ivar Bo Nilsson, of Nordland police, said: "It is regrettably confirmed that all four on board the plane have perished."
The Cold Response exercise is held every two years, with this year's exercise planned long before Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine. The event helps to train multinational NATO forces in operating in the Arctic, with 3,000 US Marines and 30,000 troops currently participating in the exercise in northern Norway.
The Second Marine Expeditionary Force issued a statement to confirm it was aware of 'a mishap' with an Osprey, while Stenger said the crash remains under investigation.
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Topics: US News, World News
