A 600-person search continues for missing US soldiers off Morocco’s coast

CASABLANCA, Morocco (AP) — Over 600 military personnel from multiple countries are searching for two U.S. soldiers who went missing in Morocco during U.S.-African military exercises, scouring underwater caves and the Atlantic coast, authorities said Wednesday.

As the search entered its fifth day, the African Lion military drills neared their end.

The two U.S. Army members went missing last week near the Cap Draa training area outside Tan-Tan, a coastal city in southwestern Morocco, the Moroccan military said. They are believed to have been on a recreational hike and may have fallen into the ocean.

More than 600 personnel from the U.S., Morocco and other African Lion participants are involved in the search and have covered more than 45 square kilometers of coastal and open ocean area, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak publicly on the matter.

“Our two soldiers and their families remain our absolute priority,” the official said.

The soldiers had been taking part in African Lion 26, a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – with more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations. It is set to end Friday. Since 2004, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa.

The Moroccan Navy released video Wednesday showing military divers examining caves, aircraft scanning the ocean surface and teams of uniformed personnel and canine crews combing the rocky shoreline. Several Moroccan military units are involved in the search.

Two vessels from the maritime training component of the drills have been reassigned to the search, including a Moroccan European multi-mission frigate and a French multipurpose supply vessel. A U.S. logistics vessel continues to support the exercise while assisting in the search effort, the official said.

Aviation equipment involved in the search includes a U.S. UC-35 Citation jet, a U.S. Army C-12 Huron aircraft and Moroccan Puma and Super Puma helicopters.

Several technology vendors involved in the exercise have deployed unmanned aerial systems to help with surveillance of the search area, the official said.