Two American soldiers went missing off Morocco’s coast near the Cap Draa Training Area during the African Lion exercise after a sunset hike. One soldier who could not swim fell into the surf; comrades formed a human chain that failed, and a second soldier was swept away trying to help. Aircraft, dive teams and drones designed by 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri have searched the area for three days, and searches and investigations are ongoing.
Two U.S. Soldiers Missing Off Morocco: New Details Reveal Harrowing Rescue Attempt
SEYLLOU / SEYLLOU/AFP via Getty Images(SEYLLOU)
Defense officials have released new details about the disappearance of two American soldiers off Morocco’s Atlantic coast during the African Lion military exercise.
What Happened
The incident occurred near steep cliffs at the Cap Draa Training Area, where thousands of troops are stationed for African Lion, U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual exercise. According to a defense source cited by CBS News, the soldiers were on a group sunset hike when one service member—who could not swim—slipped into the surf below the cliffs.
Fellow troops quickly linked belts together to form a human chain and reach him, but the attempt failed against strong waves and currents. A second soldier jumped in to try to help and was immediately struck and swept away by a wave. A third service member entered the water, returned to shore safely, but was unable to rescue the two missing soldiers.
Search and Response
Aircraft and dive teams have been searching the coastal area for three days. 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri, whose self-designed drones were deployed to assist search efforts, was interviewed by CBS just hours before the incident. Authorities say search-and-recovery operations and an investigation into the circumstances are ongoing.
“I choose to look around and measure the work we do today as a metric for the number of lives we’ll save in the future,” 1st Lt. Vincent Gasparri told a CBS crew.
Officials have not released further details about the identities of the missing soldiers or whether any remains have been recovered. Military and local search teams continue to coordinate efforts along the coastline.
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