Four US marines killed in incident at California base

Four US marines have died after an incident during maintenance on an artillery range at a base outside San Diego, military officials said.

The cause of the accident at Camp Pendleton yesterday is under investigation, according to officials.

The names of the marines who were killed have not been released by the military, pending notification of their next of kin.

The incident occurred during regularly scheduled maintenance of the base’s Zulu Impact Area, which is used for firing artillery and dropping bombs from aircraft during training.

Maintenance of the range can involve removing ordnance left in the area, moving wild animals or cutting the grass, a spokesman said, although he would not comment on what specifically happened.

No live fire was going on at the range at the time of the incident, a military official said.

This is the second fatal accident this year involving marines on a domestic military base. In March, seven marines died and several others were injured when a mortar round exploded during a live-fire training exercise at a weapons depot in Nevada.

An investigation attributed the explosion to an error by a marine operating a 60-mm mortar tube who did not follow correct procedure. Marine officials announced in May that two officers and a noncommissioned officer were removed from command as a result.

In a statement, Brig Gen John W. Bullard, the commanding general at Camp Pendleton, offered condolences to the families of the victims of yesterday’s accident.

“Our first priority is to provide the families with the support they need during this difficult time,” he said.

New York Times