US military aircraft crashes; four die 

Oslo: A US military aircraft with four people on board has crashed during a NATO exercise in northern Norway, officials said. 

According to country's Joint Rescue Coordination Centres (JRCC), the MV-22B Osprey aircraft belonging to the US Marine Corps was taking part in a NATO military exercise called “Exercise Cold Response 22," when it was reported missing at 1826 CET (1726 GMT). 

A rescue helicopter and a Norwegian military Orion plane searching the area spotted the wreckage from the air at 2017 GMT after receiving an emergency signal.

"We've discovered an aircraft that has crashed. We've seen no sign of life," said Nordland police chief of staff Bent Eilertsen.

"We've been told it's an American aircraft with four Americans on board," he added.

Because of the bad weather, the rescue aircraft could not land. Instead, police and rescue services were trying to reach the site by land, but it was unclear how long this could take.

"It's dark, the weather conditions are bad and there is a risk of avalanches," Eilertsen said.

The plane was on a training exercise and had been due to land at around 1800 CET (1700 GMT). Weather was bad in the area, with conditions worsening.

In the meantime, the II Marine Expeditionary Force said in a statement it was aware of the incident, which is being assessed.

“Norwegian civil authorities are leading the search and rescue efforts at this time,” it said. 

Exercise Cold Response 22, runs from March 14 to April 1, and it is “designed to enhance military capabilities and allied cooperation during a high-intensity warfighting scenario in a challenging Arctic environment with rugged terrain and extreme cold weather,” the Marine Corps said.