Seven Marines were killed in an explosion Monday night in a remote military testing and training facility in Nevada on Monday night, leaving seven others injured and hospitalized on Tuesday.
Reuters reported that official word as to what caused the explosion has yet to be released by Army or Marine spokespeople, but an anonymous source said the deaths and injuries were caused by a 60mm mortar round which exploded unexpectedly while still inside the launcher.
The anonymous source also told Reuters that three of seven dead Marines were killed instantly.
The remaining injured were flown to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev., “with injuries that included penetration trauma, fractures and vascular injuries," said Stacy Kendall, a spokeswoman for the medical center.
The Marines were conducting an exercise at the Hawthorne Army Depot, nearly 100 miles from Reno, on Monday night when the explosion occurred around 10 p.m. PDT.
Recently appointed Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has been following the situation closely, both as the head of the Pentagon and with a personal interest, stemming from a similar experience from his time in the Vietnam War that has stuck with him.
"This brought back memories of a training accident when he was in the U.S. Army, when two soldiers were killed in a training accident, so he takes these incidents very much to heart," said George Little, Pentagon spokesperson.
The Marines were training in Nevada from their base at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been criticized for what some are calling an inappropriate politicization of the tragedy, tying the deaths to the recent sequester debate.
“[I]t’s very important we continue training our military, so important,” Reid said. “But one of the things in sequester is we cut back in training and maintenance. That’s the way sequester was written. Now, the bill that’s on the floor, we hope to pass today helps that a little bit. At least in the next six months, it allows the military some degree of ability to move things around a little bit. Flexibility, we call it, and that’s good. But we have to be very vigilant. This sequester should go away. We have cut already huge amounts of money in deficit reduction. It’s just not appropriate, Mr. President, that our military can’t train and do the maintenance necessary.”
Former representative and U.S. Army officer Allen West called Reid out on Twitter.
“Disgusted by your attempt to politicize the death of 7 Marines in NV. If you possessed any shred of honor, you’d apologize now,” West tweeted.
