Four missing after US military plane crashes in Norway

A US military plane with four people on board has crashed in northern Norway while participating in joint NATO military exercises, as confirmed by the Norwegian Police. The four crew members of the aircraft “probably” deceased in the incident, as explained by the chief of staff of the Police of Nordland, a province in northern Norway, who has seen no signs of life “neither inside nor around the plane.”

The aircraft was heading to northern Norway and was expected to land in the city of Bodo around 6:00 p.m. However, this has not happened and, in fact, the last position recorded before the accident placed the aircraft in Saltfjellet, a mountain range about 70 kilometers from Bodo.

At the moment, the causes of the accident are unknown, although the US Army has reported that an investigation has been opened into what happened and that more details will be provided when possible. “Norwegian civil authorities are leading the search and rescue efforts at this time. We are grateful for their efforts and will assist them in the search and rescue in any way possible,” the US Marine Corps said on Twitter. He has assured that although the nature of military service is “intrinsically dangerous”, they ensure the safety of their colleagues.

The Norwegian Armed Forces had alerted this Friday late in the morning disappearance of an American plane who was participating in the military exercises of ‘Cold Response’, a joint maneuver of different countries of the Atlantic Alliance that began this Monday in Norwegian territory. As explained by the Norwegian Army, the aircraft, a Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey model, was transporting four soldiers and belongs to the United States Marine Corps.

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The Norwegian Main Rescue Center immediately began the search for the military plane, although the Armed Forces stressed that the weather conditions were adverse, which has conditioned the search efforts.

The military exercises, in which NATO members participate, include activities both at sea and in the air and, according to information from Norway, about 30,000 soldiers from 27 states and partners of the Atlantic Alliance participate, including thousands of forces land, sea and air of each one. Already before the start of the operation, the Norwegian authorities emphasized that ‘Cold Response’ not a reaction to Russia’s attack on Ukrainebut a “long-planned” common defense exercise.