It was a gloomy Wednesday when four U.S. Marines were accidentally killed during a range maintenance operation at Camp Pendleton in California, according to a press release. No details were revealed on the “catastrophic incident,” but the base said it would release the names of those that perished after their families were notified.
According to Foxnews.com, the marines we cleaning the range of unexploded ordnance, and it was not a live firing range. The commanding general of Marine Corps installations West at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton Brig. Gen. John W. Bullard commented, “We offer our heartfelt prayers and condolences to the families of the Marines lost today in this tragic incident. Our first priority is to provide the families with the support they need during this difficult time.”
At the present time the cause of the incident is under investigation and more information will be released as it becomes available,according to the base.
The devastation arrives about eight months after a mortar explosion took the lives of seven Marines in the midst of a live-fire training exercise in Nevada.
The military is investigating the situation and it is being led to believe that human error could be to blame. According to the probe’s findings, a Marine operating a 60mm mortar tube and ammunition did not follow the correct procedures, which resulted in the detonation of a high explosive round at the mortar position. Another tidbit of the investigation reveals that the mortar team involved in the unfortunate turn of events had not supervised “appropriate preparatory training.”
The Associated Press and Foxnews.com had subsidized information to support this report.
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