All four people who were on board the American military plane that crashed in Nordland on Friday have been confirmed dead. The Cold Response exercise continues as planned.
“The police have arrived at the site around 1:30 AM. Unfortunately, it has been confirmed that all four who were on board the plane have died. As far as the police are aware, all four are of American nationality,” operations manager Ivar Bo Nilsson in the Nordland Police District stated in a press release at 8:30 AM on Saturday.
“The police have launched an investigation and notified the AIBN. The weather in the area is very bad, so the further work at the scene has been stopped, but the police will take it up again as soon as the weather conditions allow it,” Nilsson said.
The police state that they do not currently have further information in the case.
Attended Cold Response
A crew of four was out on training assignments in the MV-22B Osprey aircraft. The aircraft belongs to the US Navy, and it is participating in the NATO military exercise Cold Response.
They were scheduled to land again just before 6 PM on Friday. The plane was reported missing at 6:26 PM after it did not land as planned.
The plane was heading for Bodø when it disappeared.
At 9:17 PM, finds were made on the ground in Gråtådalen in Beiarn, the Armed Forces announced.
The V-22 Osprey is a US military aircraft. The aircraft can take off and land vertically or on a short runway like a helicopter, and it can fly like a normal propeller plane when it has taken off.
Bad weather in the area
The weather is very bad in the area where the plane went down, with a lot of wind and precipitation and great danger of avalanches.
The Armed Forces wrote in a press release on Saturday morning that the Cold Response exercise continues as planned.
In a statement to NTB, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that he was sad to receive the message that the four American soldiers on board the plane had lost their lives.
“My thoughts today go to the soldiers’ families, relatives, and fellow soldiers in the department they served,” Støre said.
Chief of Defense Eirik Kristoffersen says that he feared the worst but hoped for better news when he was notified that the American plane was missing on Friday.
“My thoughts go to the bereaved and colleagues of the deceased. Thanks to everyone involved in the search and rescue operation,” Kristoffersen said.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
Do you have a news tip for Norway Today? We want to hear it. Get in touch at [email protected]
Leave a comment