4 US soldiers died in a plane crash in Norway during NATO drill

4 US soldiers died in a plane crash in Norway during NATO drill. 

According to Norway’s prime minister and defense officials, four US servicemen were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed in a Norwegian hamlet near the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise unrelated to the Ukraine conflict.

They were killed in the crash on Friday night, according to Jonas Gahr Stoere. Although the cause remained unknown, Norwegian police reported severe weather in the region.

“The soldiers took part in NATO’s Cold Response drill,” Gahr Stoere added. “Our heartfelt condolences go out to the troops’ families, relatives, and unit comrades.” 

According to Norway’s armed forces, the aircraft was a V-22B Osprey belonging to the US Marine Corps. According to a statement, it “had a crew of four and was out on a training trip in Nordland County” in northern Norway.

MORE: Israel PM Naftali Bennett will first official visit to India in April.

It was en route to Bodoe, expected to dock sometime after 6 p.m. on Friday. Instead, the Osprey was shot down in Beiarn’s Graetaedalen, south of Bodoe. A search and rescue mission was initiated right away, according to police. Police arrived at the scene around 1:30 a.m. Saturday and discovered that the four-person crew had died.

In a tweet, the US Marines said, “We can confirm an incident involving a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft.” “The incident’s cause is being investigated, and more information will be released when it becomes available.”

The regular NATO drills in Norway have nothing to do with the Ukraine conflict. Around 30,000 troops, 220 planes, and 50 vessels from 27 countries are expected to participate. Finland and Sweden, both non-NATO members, are also taking part.

The drills started on March 14 and will end on April 1.

The cause of the crash has yet to be determined. However, the Norwegian military forces have stated that Cold Response “will continue as planned, with the safeguards we must take owing to the weather.” According to Norwegian media, a Norwegian rescue chopper spotted the crash scene late Friday, and local Red Cross employees were dispatched to assist authorities on the ground.

In what they described as callous weather conditions early Saturday, Red Cross members drove near to the crash site on scooters. 

According to Norwegian tabloid VG, they marked the track with GPS for police.

“It was a special night, with a true storm. We were five people driving towards the accident scene. There was one meter of visibility, snow, and a storm in the highlands, “Oerjan Kristensen, the Red Cross team leader, told VG. “I’m guessing that was a 30-40 meter per second wind gust. It’s difficult to stay standing when the wind is this strong.”

According to Kristensen, the possibility of landslides in the highlands and the remoteness of the crash site are hindering the rescue mission.

The crash was the subject of a police investigation, and accident commission officials and police representatives were scheduled to be at the scene on Saturday.

“The weather in the area is quite terrible for finishing work at the scene,” Norland police operations manager Ivar Bo Nilsson told reporters.

Despite the crash, Cold Response, according to Lt. Gen. Yngve Odlo, chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ operations headquarters, will continue.

“Right now, the entire focus is on wrapping up the rescue operation, taking care of the people, and then returning to normal with causation,” Odlo said by Norwegian public radio NRK.

The first Cold Response drill took place in 2006, and the exercises have been repeated eight times since then. They are held in Norway’s southeast, center, and northern regions.