According to authorities, four US Marines were killed when their Osprey aircraft crashed in a Norwegian hamlet near the Arctic Circle during a NATO exercise unrelated to the Ukraine conflict.
According to Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere, they died in the crash on Friday night, March 18. Despite the fact that the reason was unknown, Norwegian police recorded harsh weather in the area.
“It is with great sadness we have received the message that four American soldiers died in a plane crash last night,” the Norwegian prime minister tweeted. “Our deepest sympathies go to the soldiers’ families, relatives, and fellow soldiers in their unit.”
SEE ALSO: Bochum and Borussia Monchengladbach called off after linesman was struck plastic beer cup
The Marines from the II Marine Expeditionary Force’s 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing were participating in a NATO exercise dubbed Cold Response. Their identities would not be revealed right away, according to the US Defense Department’s protocol of contacting relatives.
The plane in question was an MV-22B Osprey. According to the country’s armed forces, it “had a crew of four and was out on a training mission in Nordland County” in northern Norway.
It was en route to Bodoe, where it was expected to land shortly after 6 p.m. on Friday. 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 at 1:30 a.m. Saturday and confirmed that the four-person crew had died.
