Two U.S. service members were reported missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in the African Lion multinational military exercises, U.S. Africa Command said Sunday.

AFRICOM said the soldiers were missing after the day’s training had ended and they were believed to be out on a recreational hike. A U.S. defense official told The Associated Press the soldiers were not actively taking part in training at the time they went missing, and the official spoke on condition of anonymity because the service members were not authorized to discuss the case publicly.

AFRICOM said the U.S., Morocco and other countries participating in the African Lion exercise have launched a search and rescue operation, and that the incident remained under investigation with searches ongoing.

The incident happened Saturday at about 9 p.m., according to the Moroccan military, near the Cap Draa Training Area near Tan Tan close to the Atlantic Ocean. The AP reported that the terrain in the area is mountainous, described as a mix of desert and semidesert plains.

AFRICOM said the search effort includes helicopters, ships, mountain rescue units and divers, with U.S. and Moroccan personnel beginning a joint search effort when the soldiers did not return as expected. A U.S. defense official told the AP the soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs in the vicinity of the Cap Draa Training Area during scheduled training.

The African Lion exercise began in April and spans four countries, including Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal, with the 2026 event scheduled to end in early May. AFRICOM said the exercise is the largest U.S. annual joint military exercise on the continent, and it typically includes high-ranking military officials from the U.S. and its top African allies.

In all, more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations are participating across the four host countries, according to the AP account. The exercise started in Tunisia with active-duty members from different U.S. branches, including the National Guard, Army Reserve, Air Force and Marine Corps.

The AP noted that African Lion has been running since 2004. In 2012, the publication reported, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others were injured in Morocco during a helicopter crash in the southern city of Agadir while taking part in African Lion.