The four US soldiers flying in a military plane in northern Norway have died after crashing during a NATO military exercise, according to local police and the country's prime minister.
The US Marine Corps V-22 Osprey aircraft was participating in a NATO military exercise called
Cold Response
.
when he disappeared around 1:30 a.m. ET, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center reported Friday.
The Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr, confirmed the death of the soldiers and lamented the events.
"It is with great sadness that we received the message that four US soldiers were killed in a plane crash last night. The soldiers participated in NATO's Cold Response exercise. Our deepest condolences go out to the soldiers' families, relatives and fellow soldiers in their unity," he wrote on the social network Twitter.
NATO soldiers take part in the Brilliant Jump 2022 military exercise, in Rena, Norway, on March 17, 2022.NTB / via REUTERS
The plane was supposed to land at a Norwegian military base,
but due to bad weather it crashed before it could reach its target
, the Reuters news agency reported.
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After combing the area,
a Norwegian Orion military plane spotted the aircraft from the air.
The aircraft was headed north of Bodoe, where it was scheduled to land just before 6:00 pm on Friday.
It crashed at Graetaedalen in Beiarn, south of Bodoe.
At 1:30 am on Saturday, the police arrived at the scene and confirmed that the four crew members had died.
"We can confirm that an incident has occurred involving a Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey aircraft," the US Navy said on Twitter.
"The cause of the incident is being investigated and additional details will be provided as they become available," he added.
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"We found it after receiving an emergency signal. Due to bad weather, we cannot go down. Police and rescue teams are already on their way," the pilot of the Orion aircraft said earlier by radio.
NATO training in the arctic occurs on a routine basis.
However, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has raised the alert level of the West's main military alliance, to which both Norway and the United States belong.
The drills, which began March 14 and end April 1, this year include some 30,000 troops, 220 planes and 50 ships from 27 countries.
Finland and Sweden, which are not members of NATO, also participate.
