According to the ministry, both troops are from the Juozas Vitkus Engineer Battalion's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Company. The wounded soldier is in a stable condition. He is conscious, walking and communicating with doctors.
The army still cannot clearly say what caused the explosion and under what circumstances.
"At around 1 PM, an explosion occurred in the premises of the Grand Duke Gediminas Staff Battalion, resulting in the death of one soldier and injury of another. Both soldiers are bomb disposal specialists who used to work with standard explosives. They belonged to a unit which carries out bomb disposal work in Vilnius region," Colonel Vilmantas Tamošaitis, chief of the Lithuanian Joint Headquarters Staff, told journalists at the scene.
"So far, the cause of the explosion is unknown for law enforcement institutions. Prosecutors and the Military Police have opened a pre-trial investigation. It's rather difficult to evaluate the details," the army chief said.
"The explosive has not been identified yet. There were no explosives used for disposal work in the premises. (…) There were no training activities taking place at that moment. I believe, an investigation will give answers to all these questions," he added.
The leadership of the Ministry of National Defense, Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius and Speaker of the Seimas Irena Degutienė expressed condolences to the family of the killed soldier.
"During the sitting, I received information from special services that a soldier was killed during an army incident in Vilnius. I would like to express my condolences to the family of the killed soldier and families of the wounded," the prime minister told journalists after a Cabinet sitting.
"I would like to extend my sincerest and deepest condolences to the family of the soldier killed during an explosion in Vilnius today and wish them fortitude in this hour of immense grief. I also wish health and quick recovery to the wounded soldier," Degutienė said in a press release.
