Seven US Marines Killed in Mortar Shell Explosion

Seven US Marines were killed and seven more were wounded when a mortar shell exploded at a military depot in Nevada.

The 60mm mortar shell exploded prematurely inside the firing tube during a “training exercise” Monday night at the Hawthorne Army Depot, some 150 km from Reno, the most populous Nevada city outside Las Vegas, Xinhua reported.

At least three Marines reportedly were killed instantly and the wounded were airlifted to a medical center in Reno from the depot located in the isolated desert in Western Nevada.

Other details of the explosion are unknown and the cause of the tragedy is under investigation.

The Hawthrone Army Depot is a facility used for storing and destroying demilitarized ammunition and a training site used by the US troops heading overseas.