(CNN) — The US Marine Corps said four Marines were involved in an accident involving an MV-22B Osprey during a training mission in Norway on Friday, but did not provide further details on their status or their identities until notify their families.
Earlier, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said four US soldiers were killed in a plane crash on Friday.
“It is with great sadness that we have received the message that four US soldiers were killed in a plane crash last night,” he said on his official Twitter account.
“Soldiers participated in the Cold Response exercise of the OTAN. Our deepest condolences to the soldiers’ families, relatives and fellow soldiers in your unit,” he added.
The US Marine Corps said in a statement that the aircraft was participating in NATO exercises when it was involved in a “mishap.”
“The aircraft was participating in Exercise Cold Response 2022,” the Corps said. According the website NATO’s Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned exercise that brings together NATO allies and partners and aims to test their ability to work together in cold weather conditions.
“Although the nature of military service is inherently dangerous, the safety of our Marines, sailors, allies and partners is our top priority,” the statement said.
With information from Jonny Hallam and Barbara Starr.