Zeenews Bureau
Nevada: Seven marines were killed and several wounded when a 60mm shell exploded at a military ammunitions depot in America`s Nevada, reports said Tuesday.
The accident took place during a training exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot on Monday night.
The Hawthorne Army Depot is a storage site of military ammunition. It is also used as a training centre for special forces heading abroad. The facility is made up of hundreds of buildings spread over more than 230 square miles.
Though the cause of explosion is not clear, a 60mm shell is supposed to have blasted as per a CNN report.
The injured were taken to area hospitals for treatment and further evaluation.
Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, the area`s major trauma hospital, took nine patients, including one who died, three who are in serious condition and five who are in fair condition, according to spokeswoman Stacy Kendall.
Hawthorne has held an important place in American military history since World War II when it became the staging area for ammunition, bombs and rockets for the war. The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection says that the depot employed more than 5,500 people at its peak. Nevada was chosen for the location because of its remoteness in the wake of a devastating explosion at the government`s main depot in New Jersey in the 1920s.
With Agency Inputs
