4 US Army soldiers go missing during training exercise in Lithuania, vehicle recovered
(PABRADĖ, Lithuania) — Search and recovery efforts are underway for four U.S. Army soldiers who went missing during a scheduled training exercise near Pabradė, Lithuania, according to the Army and the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius.
The soldiers, who the Army said are all based in Fort Stewart, Georgia, were reported missing on Tuesday, the Lithuanian Armed Forces said.
The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the soldiers were operating at the time has been found submerged in water in a training area, the Army said on Wednesday.
“The 3rd Inf. Div. is continuing to keep families of the Soldiers informed on the status of search efforts,” the Army said in a statement.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
(LONDON and ROME) — Pope Francis is being admitted to hospital on Friday for “necessary tests” and to continue his ongoing bronchitis treatment, the Vatican said.
“This morning, at the end of the audiences, Pope Francis will be admitted to the Agostino Gemelli Polyclinic for some necessary diagnostic tests and to continue in a hospital setting [his] treatment for bronchitis that is still ongoing,” the Vatican said in a statement released on Friday morning.
The Pope had some scheduled private audiences this morning, as he has most days, and will make his way to the hospital after his audiences have been received.
Just last month, Pope Francis fell and injured his arm in his residence, the Vatican said in January.
“Pope Francis suffered a bruise to his right forearm, without fractures,” the Vatican said in a statement in Italian. “The arm was immobilized as a precautionary measure.”
The pontiff, 88, was seen in a photo released by the Vatican after the incident with his arm in a soft sling. Earlier this month, Pope Francis tripped while entering the Vatican auditorium for an audience when the handle of his walking stick broke but he was able to stop himself from falling.
The pope often has been known to use a wheelchair or a cane due to bad knees and has fallen twice in the past two months.
Just two days ago during his weekly general audience, Pope Francis paused and said, “me, with my bronchitis, I cannot (read) still” “I hope that next time I can,” before an aide aide finished the reading.
The pope was diagnosed with bronchitis last Thursday.
Friday’s hospitalization comes ahead of a packed schedule of events this weekend to mark the Catholic church’s jubilee year and, as a result of his medical condition, the jubilee audience for Saturday has been cancelled, the Vatican said.
“The Holy Mass on the occasion of the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture on Sunday, Feb. 16, will be presided over by His Eminence Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, while the meeting with artists, scheduled for Monday at Cinecittà, is cancelled due to the Pope’s inability to attend,” the Vatican confirmed.
Interior view of destroyed Nasser Hospital following the Israeli attack in Khan Yunis, Gaza/Abdallah F.s. Alattar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
(LONDON) — A senior Hamas official was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a hospital in southern Gaza on Sunday, the terror group and the Israel Defense Forces said, as Israel expanded its renewed campaign into the Palestinian territory.
Ismail Barhoum, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, was killed in the strike on the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Hamas confirmed, describing the attack as a “cowardly” assassination. Hamas said Barhoum was receiving medical treatment in the hospital when he was killed.
The IDF and Israeli Security Agency said in a joint statement that the attack targeted a “key terrorist in the Hamas terrorist organization” who was “operating inside” the hospital, which is the largest in southern Gaza.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said the Israeli strike targeted the hospital’s surgical wing and occurred when “many patients and wounded” were inside the hospital. Videos from the scene showed a fire inside the building following the strike.
The ministry said that “many others” — including medical personnel — were wounded in the strike, “with varying degrees of injuries.” The attack, it added, “also caused panic and forced the complete evacuation of the department after a large portion of it was destroyed.”
Nasser Hospital has been shelled several times by Israeli forces since war broke out in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, following Hamas’ surprise attack into southern Israel.
IDF forces raided the hospital in February 2024, when the IDF said it had intelligence that hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack had been held there. Israel has repeatedly alleged that Hamas was using the facility as a “command-and-control center.” Hamas has denied using Nasser and other Gaza hospitals for military purposes.
Israel resumed its air and ground campaign in Gaza last week, ending the ceasefire agreed with Hamas in January.
At least 673 people have since been killed and 1,233 injured by Israeli strikes since the ceasefire ended, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The total death toll in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, is now at 50,021, according to the ministry.
ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz, Will Gretsky and Victoria Beaule contributed to this report.
LONDON and BELGRADE — Dozens of people were killed in a fire at a nightclub in North Macedonia’s southern city of Kocani, local authorities said Sunday.
At least 59 people — all aged 18 to 23 — were killed, Pance Toshkovski, North Macedonian minister of interior, said during a news conference on Sunday. Among the victims was a police officer, who was in the nightclub on duty, Toshkovski said.
Dr. Kristina Serafimova, the head of the Kocani General Hospital, told ABC News that those who perished were killed by smoke inhalation, burns and a stampede triggered by the fire. Serafimova said there was only one exit from the nightclub.
Another 155 people were injured in the incident, all of whom are aged between 14 and 24, Serafimova and Toshkovski said. Around 10 of those injured are in critical condition and on respirators fighting for their lives, Serafimova said.
The most serious cases have all been transferred to hospitals in other parts of the country or abroad, Serafimova said.
Arrest warrants have been issued for four people, said Toshkovski, who declined to provide further information. Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire and possible safety violations.
Toshkovski said the Ministry of Economy and Public Prosecutor’s Office are collecting documents related to the nightclub and those alleged to have been responsible for the tragedy.
A switchboard operator at one of the hospitals treating victims told ABC News, “It’s a catastrophic tragedy.”
The manager of the band DNK, which was performing at the nightclub when the fire broke out, told ABC News that the venue had a maximum capacity of 500 to 700 people.
The band, which consists of eight members, was performing at the time of the fire and some of them were among the injured, the manager said.
As more details of the incident emerged, the families of the young people who attended the concert — some of them underage — appealed for information on social media, sharing phone numbers and personal details in the hope that those still missing can be found.
Serafimova told ABC News that only around half of the victims were carrying identification. Family members of the missing have been asked to come to Kocani hospital to help identify their loved ones, she added.
The blaze began around 2:35 a.m. local time, according to Interior Minister Toshkovski, who said the venue’s roof was set on fire by pyrotechnics used by clubbers.
Toshkovski said police arrested one man, but did not give any further details.
North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski wrote on X, “The loss of so many young lives is irreparable, and the pain of the families, loved ones and friends is immeasurable.”
“The government is fully mobilized and will do everything necessary to deal with the consequences and determine the causes of this tragedy,” Mickoski added. “In these times of deep sadness, when our hearts are broken with pain due to this terrible tragedy, I call for unity, solidarity, humanity and responsibility.”
Among those offering condolences from abroad was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “I wish those who were injured a speedy recovery,” he wrote in a post to X. “Ukraine mourns alongside our [North] Macedonian friends on this sad day.”
Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said his nation was ready “to provide any assistance that may be needed.”
European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos said on X that she was “deeply saddened” by the “terrible tragedy.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
