A mortar explosion in Nevada kills seven Marines from a North Carolina unit

HAWTHORNE, Nev. – A 60mm mortar explosion killed seven Marines and injured a half dozen others during a training exercise in the Nevada desert. That prompted the Pentagon to immediately halt use of the weapon worldwide until an investigation can determine its safety, a military official said Tuesday.

The explosion occurred Monday evening at the Hawthorne Army Depot, a facility used by troops heading overseas, during a 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force exercise at Camp Lejeune, N.C. Several Marines in the unit were injured in the explosion, authorities said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said it was not immediately clear whether the mortar exploded prematurely in its firing tube or whether more than a single cartridge exploded. The officer was not authorized to speak to a reporter about the accident.

The 60mm mortar is a weapon that traditionally requires three to four Marines to operate. However, when training, it is common for others to be able to observe him nearby.

Reno’s renowned Regional Medical Center, the region’s largest trauma hospital, admitted eight patients, including one deceased, five in serious condition, one in fair condition and one who was discharged, according to spokesman Mark Earnest.

All patients were men under 30, he said. Hospital officials described her injuries as penetrating trauma, fractures and vascular injuries.

The rescue was made difficult by the remoteness of the site. According to Care Flight spokesman Kurt Althof, a helicopter flight to Reno takes 41 minutes; by car the distance is 2 ½ hours. Small hospitals in rural Nevada are unprepared to handle mass casualties.

The identities of those killed will not be released until 24 hours after their families are notified.

“We extend our prayers and condolences to the families of the Marines involved in this tragic incident,” said force commander Maj. Gen. Raymond C. Fox. “We mourn their loss and remember with heavy hearts their courage and sacrifice.”

The Marine Corps official said an explosion at the firing point during an exercise could kill or maim anyone within or near the protective mortar pit and detonate any mortars stored nearby in a phenomenon known as “sympathetic detonation.” bring.

The official did not know whether the seven dead Marines and several other injured people were in the same firing pit, standing nearby for exercise observation, or in an adjacent mortar pit, but in any of those situations they would have been in danger after such an explosion.

The official said a worldwide moratorium after such an accident is not unusual and would remain in place until the investigation determines that the weapon did not fail in a way that would have harmed other Marines or that mortars fired at the same time as the The mortars involved in the accident were manufactured and are still safe to use.

The official said it was normal to warn other U.S. military branches that use 60mm mortars, such as the Army, about the Marines’ warning. The moratorium could last weeks or months.

The investigation will focus on whether the Marines followed procedures to properly fire the weapon, whether there was a malfunction in the firing device or in the explosive mortar itself, the official said.

The Hawthorne Army Depot stores and disposes of ammunition. The facility consists of hundreds of buildings spanning more than 230 square miles.

Hawthorne has held an important place in American military history since World War II, when it became a hub for wartime ammunition, bombs and missiles. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection says the depot employed more than 5,500 people at its peak. Nevada was chosen as the site because of its remoteness following a devastating explosion at the government’s main depot in New Jersey in the 1920s.

According to its website, it opened in September 1930 as Naval Ammunition Depot Hawthorne and was renamed Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant in 1977 when it came under Army control. In 1994, the site ceased production and became the Hawthorne Army Depot. The site currently serves several military purposes, including storing ammunition and explosives and providing what the military calls an ideal training facility for special forces preparing for operations in similar desert terrain in places like Afghanistan.

The political leaders of Nevada and North Carolina expressed their condolences.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., expressed his condolences to the victims of the explosion during a speech Tuesday morning on the Senate floor.

Nevada Republican Senator Dean Heller tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers are with the families who lost a loved one in the Hawthorne Army Depot explosion. I am grateful for their service.”

“The men and women who work and train there put their service above themselves every day,” Republican Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval said in a statement. “Kathleen and I would like to express our deepest condolences to those killed and their families.”

“I was so saddened to learn of the seven Marines from Camp Lejeune who were killed last night in Nevada,” U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., said in a statement. “My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the Marines killed and injured, and I will continue to monitor the investigation so we can determine what happened and take appropriate action.”

___

Bridis reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Pauline Jelinek in Washington and Michelle Rindels and Ken Ritter in Las Vegas contributed to this report.