Four American soldiers have been killed in a military plane crash in Norway.
The Norwegian Armed Forces said in a statement today that four U.S. soldiers aboard a plane had crashed in a remote part of northern Norway during a NATO exercise yesterday.
On Friday, the US Marine Corps’ V-22B Osprey aircraft took part in a long-planned Cold Response winter military exercise to defend Norwegian territory.
Rescue operations went ashore early this morning after helicopters were unable to land due to bad weather, including strong winds and heavy rain.
PC: Norwegian armed forces
According to local weather forecasts, there was also a risk of avalanches in the area.
“Police arrived at the scene of the crash around 1.30am (0030 GMT) local time. It is unfortunate that all four people on board were killed,” said Ivar Bo Nilsson, head of operations at the Norland Police Department.
It was later reported that all four of the dead were members of Asprey’s American team.
Police investigating the cause of the crash had to suspend their work due to bad weather and plan to resume their investigation as conditions improve.
The Norwegian military says about 30,000 troops from 27 countries are involved in cold response training.