Two US service members have gone missing during military exercises in Morocco, the US African Command (Africom) has said.

Officials said they were last seen on Saturday near ocean cliffs in the vicinity of the Cap Draa Training Area, which is close to the city of Tan Tan in Morocco.

Initial reports indicate the missing soldiers, who were participating in African Lion 2026, an annual joint training exercise, may have fallen into the ocean, a US defence official told the BBC.

A search and rescue mission involving ground, air, and maritime resources from the US, Morocco and other countries is underway for the service members, Africom said.

“The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing,” Africom said in a statement released on Sunday. “Our focus is on the service members involved and their families.”

Authorities believe the incident was an accident and was not an act of terrorism or kidnapping, a US official told the BBC.

The soldiers were reported missing after they failed to return to the training area, and US and Moroccan forces then launched a search, the official said.

African Lion is an annual joint exercise designed to strengthen operations between US forces, Nato allies, and African nations.

It is the continent’s largest annual joint military exercise, and is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia.

It focuses on all-domain operations, crisis response, and multinational coordination to enhance regional security and prepare for emergencies.

The exercise, which involves 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries and more than 30 US-based industry partners, is scheduled to run from 27 April to 8 May. (BBC, excluding headline)