The National Armed Forces briefly issued a warning covering Bauska, Aizkraukle and Ogre municipalities on the morning of Sunday, October 18th, but withdrew it soon after.
The warning was issued at 07:40 but withdrawn less than half an hour later at 08:12.
It was subsequently announced by the National Armed Forces (NBS) that a suspected drone had possibly self-destructed in Lithuania while it was on a flight path towards Latvia.
"Between 06:00 and 08:00, an unidentified, possibly unmanned aircraft was detected in Lithuanian airspace, which caused an air alert in several regions. Taking into account the available data and the high probability that the object might fly into Latvian territory, a mobile broadcast was also activated in the Bauska, Aizkraukle and Ogre regions.
"In response to the potential threat, NATO air defence mission fighters were scrambled. According to currently available information, the fighter jets did not shoot down the suspected drone and there is a possibility that the unidentified object detonated itself. The incident site is located in the Pasvalys district, in northern Lithuania, near the Latvian border," said the NBS
The Lithuanian authorities are currenly investigating at the scene, the NBS added.
For further information and updates you might like to check out our colleagues at Lithuanian public media LRT.
According to LRT, the crash site has been found and cordoned off, and parts of the drone have been recovered which should aid with identification. Interestingly, the public broadcaster also suggested the initial air alerts in Lithuania were sounded after an unidentified object entered from Polish airspace.
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