NEVADA: At least seven US Marines were killed and eight others were wounded after a mortar exploded during a live-fire training exercise at an ammunition storage facility within a US military facility in western Nevada, US military officials said Tuesday.
The explosion took place during a US Marine training exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot in western Nevada late on Monday night, said facility manager Russ Collier.
A 60-millimeter mortar exploded in a tube while US Marines were readying to fire it, sources said. However, an others source said the marines were picking the shell up to load it when it detonated.
The Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority’s (REMSA) spokesperson Stacy Kendall said that at least eight people had been taken to local hospitals with unknown injuries.
One person had died from the explosion, and three had been hospitalized in serious condition. Five more had been taken to the hospital in fair condition, with trauma and fractures listed among the injuries, REMSA spokeswoman said.
The Hawthorne Army Depot is a sprawling 147,000 acre facility consisting of hundreds of buildings used for storing ammunition and other military hardware.
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