US Marines Critically Injured In Training Accident

Cover Image: Library photo of US Marines during an amphibious exercise.

A number of US Marines have been injured, five critically, after their amphibious assault vehicle caught fire during a training exercise.

The incident, which saw 15 marines hurt, occurred during a combat readiness evaluation, Marine spokesman Paul Gainey announced. He said:

"Officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident at this time."

The Marines were evacuated to nearby hospitals, with eight taken to a burns centre at the University of California.

Amphibious Assault Vehicles have been used by the Marines since the 1970s and are designed for landings from the sea.

The incident follows two fatalities at Camp Pendleton, the US Marines biggest base on the West Coast of the country.

On August 30, a 22-year-old Marine died during a training exercise, although the cause of death has not yet been established.

And in 2015, a 19-year-old Marine was found shot dead in the head on a firing range at the base.

It comes after seven sailors were killed when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a container ship off Japan in June.

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