A US military aircraft that appears to have crashed in northern Norway on Friday with four people aboard during NATO exercises has sustained "major damage," according to authorities in the country.
The MV-22B Osprey aircraft, assigned to the II Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) US military unit, was on a training mission in Nordland County, northern Norway, on Friday, the Norwegian Armed Forces said.
On Saturday, Bent Arne Eilertsen, Nordland police chief of staff, told public broadcaster NRK: "The rescue helicopter has made observations and sees major damage to the aircraft.
"At 2:15 a.m. local time Saturday (9:15 p.m. Friday ET) ground crews approach the area where the aircraft is located.
"What we have been told is that it is an American plane with Americans on board."
According to NATO: "Cold Response 2022 is a long-planned and regular exercise, which Norway hosts biannually. This year’s exercise was announced over eight months ago. It is not linked to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine, which NATO is responding to with preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory measures."
He said the rescue operation is being carried out in darkness and bad weather, meaning police and rescue crews must "enter the area on land" and use snowmobiles to reach the scene.
"Precipitation, avalanche danger, wind and darkness make such a rescue operation demanding," he said.
As of 2 a.m. Saturday (9 p.m. Friday ET), the Norwegian police have not had any contact with the aircraft, according to police.
Norway's Safety Investigation Authority and National Criminal Investigation Service will arrive in Bodø, north of the Arctic Circle, on Saturday to start their investigation at the town's airport. Due to the poor weather, they will most likely make their way to the crash site on Sunday, according to NRK.
The US Marine Corps thanked Norwegian authorities for the rescue operation, saying in a statement: "We are grateful for their efforts and will help them with this search and rescue in all possible ways.”