4 Missing GA Soldiers Die In Lithuania: Reports

GEORGIA — Four soldiers from Fort Stewart who disappeared from a training in Lithuania have died, per media reports, citing NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Army officials.

Early Wednesday, the Lithuanian Armed Forces confirmed the disappearance of the soldiers and a vehicle, but the foreign military said it found no evidence they died.

However, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte told the Associated Press the soldiers died.

U.S. Lt. Col. Angel Tomko confirmed to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the soldiers were from the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division stationed at Fort Stewart. Tomko would not confirm their deaths, the AJC reported.

The soldiers were not identified, and the details into their deaths were not immediately known.

“This is still early news so we do not know the details," Rutte told reporters in Warsaw. "This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones."

A statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany said the soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time.

Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that four U.S. soldiers and vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Belarus.

The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.

Relations soured further over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces.

Fort Stewart is an Army base about an hour from Savannah.

The Associated Press contributed reporting and writing.