Recovery efforts continue for missing Fort Stewart soldiers in Lithuania

FORT STEWART, Ga. (WTOC) - The U.S. Army and Lithuanian authorities are bringing in more assets to help find four missing U.S. Army Soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.

The soldiers went missing during a training exercise. The Army is now calling it a recovery effort.

The U.S. Army Europe and Africa division says it’s already taken a large capacity slurry pump, cranes, more than 30 tons of gravel and a lot of expertise to assist with those recovery efforts.

The vehicle the soldiers were operating was located but the U.S. Army Europe and Africa division says the area around the site is incredibly wet and marshy and doesn’t support the weight of the equipment needed for the recovery of the 70-ton vehicle without significant engineering improvements.

They also say that draining the area has been slow and difficult due to ground water seepage.

Over the last 72 hours, recovery teams have consisted of U.S. Army Soldiers, Lithuanian Armed Forces, and other Lithuanian authorities and contractors.

They have been working around the clock to drain water, dig, and dredge the mud that surrounds the vehicle to be able to extract it.