A Marine MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft crashed in the mountains of Norway during a training exercise on Friday.
The Marine Corps could only confirm that “an incident has occurred involving” an Osprey when asked for details, said Maj. Jim Stenger, a Marine spokesman. “The aircraft was conducting training in Norway as part of Exercise Cold Response 22 at the time of the incident.”
According to the Norwegian military, the aircraft had a crew of four and was flying north in Nordland on its way to Bodø for a scheduled landing at 6 p.m. local time before it disappeared from radar screens at Saltfjellet, a mountainous region in northern Norway.
After the Osprey was reported missing at 6:26 p.m., the Norwegian military dispatched two rescue helicopters and an Orion long-range surveillance plan to search for the aircraft, according to the statement. “The weather conditions in the area are challenging,” it said, adding that “discoveries were made from the air Gråtådalen in Beiarn” at 9:17 p.m.
“We’ve discovered an aircraft that has crashed. We’ve seen no sign of life,” Nordland police chief of staff Bent Eilertsen told Reuters. Weather and the risk of avalanches have so far hindered aircraft from landing near the site, according to Eilertsen.
“Due to the weather conditions, it was not possible to go down to the site,” the Norwegian military statement said. “Police and rescue crews were on their way into the area at about 10 pm.”
This is a breaking news article that will be updated as more information becomes available.
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