A U.S. military aircraft crashed Friday evening during a NATO “Cold Response” training exercise in Norway.
A U.S. Marine Corps MV-22B Osprey with a crew of four was out on a NATO training mission in Nordland County northern Norway when it was reported missing, the Norwegian Armed Forces said in a statement.
It is currently unknown why the Osprey went down, but the Norwegian military said the aircraft’s last known position was at Saltfjellet, south of Bodø.
“At 21:17 Friday, discoveries were made from the air in Gråtådalen in Beiarn, south of Bodø. Due to the weather conditions, it has not been possible to enter the site from the air,” the statement said. “Police and rescue crews are now on their way into the area by foot and snow mobiles.”
Weather conditions in the area the Osprey crashed are expected to get worse, according to officials. The Norwegian military said the Norland police would be taking the lead on the search and rescue.
The cause of the incident is under investigation, and additional details will be provided as available.
For more information, contact @iimefmarines / IIMEFCOMMSTRAT@usmc.mil
— U.S. Marines (@USMC) March 18, 2022
The U.S. Marine Corps confirmed in a statement that a Marine Corps Osprey aircraft was involved in “an incident” in Norway. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Marines Describe ‘Sham’ Religious Vaccine Exemption Process)
“The aircraft was conducting training in Norway as part of Exercise COLD RESPONSE 22 at the time of the incident,” the statement read. “The cause of the incident is under investigation, and additional details will be provided as available.”
The wreckage was spotted by a rescue helicopter and a Norwegian military plane after receiving the Osprey’s emergency signal, Reuters reported.
Norland police chief Bent Eilertsen said it is unclear how long it will take police to find the missing crew members now that the weather has forced the search and rescue team to try and reach the site by land, according to the outlet.
“We’ve discovered an aircraft that has crashed. We’ve seen no sign of life,” Eilertsen told Reuters. “We’ve been told it’s an American aircraft with four Americans on board.”
The rescue team will have to fight bad weather conditions, including the possibility of avalanches, Eilertsen told the outlet.