The bodies of three of the four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing last week during a training mission outside of Lithuania’s capital were found Monday after the 63-ton vehicle they were in was removed from a peat bog, Army officials said.

Their identities have not been released, and search and recovery efforts for the fourth soldier are ongoing.

The M88 Hercules armored vehicle the soldiers were traveling in was found on Wednesday submerged in about 15 feet of water and “encased” in about two feet of mud, Army officials said.

U.S. Navy divers were able to reach the vehicle on Sunday and remove it from the peat bog Monday morning after a six-day-long effort, the Army said.

Lithuanian armed forces provided military helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial systems, and search and rescue personnel to join the effort, officials said. Over several days, excavators, sluice and slurry pumps, other heavy construction equipment, technical experts and several hundred tons of gravel and earth were brought in to assist with the recovery.

“The soldiers we have lost in this tragedy were not just soldiers — they were a part of our family. Our hearts are heavy with a sorrow that echoes across the whole Marne Division, both forward and at home,” said Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, 3rd Infantry Division commanding general. “We stand in grief with the families and loved ones of these extraordinary ‘Dogface Soldiers’ during this unimaginable time.

“But the search isn’t finished until everyone is home. Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found.”

A news release said the soldiers were from Fort Stewart, Georgia, and deployed to Lithuania in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

NATO clarified a comment on Wednesday after Secretary General Mark Rutte prematurely suggested the soldiers had died even though the U.S. Army said their fate was not yet confirmed.

“The search is ongoing,” NATO said in a statement posted on X. “We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”

The U.S. Army and Lithuanian authorities are investigating the cause of the accident.

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