Bodies of US marines found after Norway military crash

The bodies of four US marines killed when their plane crashed during NATO exercises in Norway have been retrieved, Norway's defence ministry said Sunday.

A Norwegian Sea King rescue helicopter found the bodies at the accident site south of Bodo in northern Norway where their V-22B Osprey aircraft belonging to the US Marine Corps was reported missing on Friday evening.

The ministry said the bodies would be brought to Bodo prior to transportation to the United States.

It added the plane went down just south of Bode during a training mission as part of Cold Response military exercises involving 30,000 troops from NATO and partner countries.

An investigation has been opened into the crash amid first indications the aircraft hit a mountain.

Police lead investigator Kristian Vikran Karlsen said the search and rescue operation had been delicate owing to the bad weather -- "but they brought out the bodies, which was the main priority".

NRK television reported the plane's black box had been recovered.

About 200 planes and some 50 ships are taking part in the exercises, scheduled to continue until April 1.

The ministry said the deceased were marines assigned to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force and that, aside from the crew, nobody else was aboard.

Norwegian defence chief General Eirik Kristoffersen offered his condolences to the families of the victims while the ministry said the exercise would continue despite the poor weather.

Cold Response 2022 aims to test how Norway would manage allied reinforcements on its soil in the event that NATO's mutual defence clause were triggered.

Tensions between Russia and NATO have soared following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, but the exercises were planned long before that offensive began on February 24.

Related Links
Aerospace News at SpaceMart.com

Tweet

Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.

SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly

paypal only

SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal

British pilot killed in trainer jet crash in Italy
Rome (AFP) March 16, 2022
A British pilot died Wednesday when a Leonardo trainer aircraft crashed in mountains near Lake Como in northern Italy, the Italian aerospace and defence giant said. The M-346 jet, intended for military pilot training, took off from Leonardo's site near Varese at 11:00 am (1000 GMT), before losing contact 35 minutes later. The aircraft wreckage was found near the town of Colico at the lake's northeastern side, Leonardo said in a statement. "Unfortunately, the instructor pilot, who belonged to ... read more