First modification:
The Marines, assigned to the 2nd Marine Air Wing, were participating in a NATO exercise called Cold Response. The United States has said the identity of the Marines has not been confirmed, in line with US Defense Department policy that family members be notified.
During an unrelated NATO exercise in Ukraine, four US Marines aboard a military plane were killed when their aircraft crashed in a town in the Arctic Circle north of Norway, according to the Norwegian military. This Saturday March 19.
The soldiers were in the V-22B Osprey aircraft of the United States Marine Corps while participating in an exercise of the military alliance called Cold Response (‘Cold Response’, in Spanish), which aims to practice the defense of the Norwegian territory under conditions cold in case of attack.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere specified this Saturday on his Twitter account that the soldiers died in the accident on Friday night. “Our deepest condolences go to the families of the soldiers, relatives and colleagues in their unit,” he added.
It is with great sadness we have recived the message that four American soldiers died in a plane crash last night. The soldiers participated in the NATO exercise Cold Response. Our deepest sympathies go to the soldiers’ families, relatives and fellow soldiers in their unit.
– Jonas Gahr Støre (@jonasgahrstore) March 19, 2022
Rescue services had to reach the scene by land as helicopters were unable to land due to bad weather conditions, including hurricane-force winds and torrential rains with the risk of avalanches in the area, according to local weather authorities.
“The police arrived at the crash site around 01:30 CET (00:30 GMT). Unfortunately, it is confirmed that all four who were on board the plane have died,” Ivar Bo Nilsson, head of operations at the airline, said in a statement. Nordland Police.
The authorities did not specify any cause of the accident and investigations in the area also had to be stopped due to weather conditions.
The Norwegian newspaper VG claimed that members of the Red Cross approached the accident site with electric scooters and marked the trail with GPS for the police.
“It was a special night, there was a real storm. We were five people driving to the accident site. There was a meter of visibility, snow and storm in the mountains. I guess it was a gust of wind of 30-40 meters per second. When it blows like that, it’s hard to stay on your feet,” Red Cross team leader Oerjan Kristensen told VG.
Cold Response, the NATO military drill
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) drill called Cold Response – in which the soldiers who died in the incident participated – currently has 30,000 soldiers, 220 planes and 50 ships from 27 countries. Other participants include Finland and Sweden, non-NATO nations.
The first Cold Response drill exercise was held in 2006 and since then military rehearsals have been held every two years in southeastern, central and northern Norway.
Lt. Gen. Yngve Odlo, head of the Norwegian Armed Forces’ operational headquarters, said activities will continue despite the accident.
“At the moment we are focused on finishing the rescue operation, taking care of people and then a normal procedure will be done with causality,” Odlo said, according to the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK.
With AP and Archyde.com
