Belgian soldier dies after mortar exercise accident in Lithuania
A Belgian soldier participating in a NATO mission in Lithuania has died after sustaining an injury during a mortar exercise. Defence minister Theo Francken and chief of defence Frederik Vansina announced his death in a joint press release on Saturday.
A soldier from the Artillery Battalion in Brasschaat sustained life-threatening injuries during an exercise with mortars on Friday. He received immediate initial care from medical teams and was transferred to a civilian hospital, where he died from his injuries on Saturday.
Defence forces brought the soldier's family to the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, on Saturday, were they were able to say goodbye. Psychological support has been provided for the family members and military personnel who need it.
The federal public prosecutor's office says it has opened an investigation, adding that it is not sharing any more information "at this stage of the investigation". Defence has already launched an internal investigation to discover the exact circumstances of the accident.
Nearly 200 Belgian soldiers have been deployed in Lithuania since the summer, as part of NATO's Forward Land Forces, a series of multinational battle groups stationed in eight Eastern European countries. The mission is part of the defence of NATO's eastern flank. Their deployment is scheduled to run until the end of January.
In the press release, Defence expressed its appreciation for the "often risky work our colleagues perform every day, often under difficult conditions".
#FlandersNewsService | © PHOTO DANIEL MIHAILESCU / AFP
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