UPDATE:
New details in a military training exercise that took a deadly turn.
We are learning one of the eight Marines killed in the explosion at an army depot in Nevada is from Central Pennsylvania.
Our sister station WTAJ has confirmed one of the victims was 19-year-old Josh Martino of Dubois.
That's northwest of State College.
Family members say he was trying to come home for Easter.
Authorities say the explosion was caused by a sixty-millimeter mortar.
At least seven other Marines were hurt.
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RENO, Nev. An explosion at the Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada late Monday killed seven Marines and injured several more from a North Carolina unit, the Marine Corps confirmed in a statement.
Officials say it was a Marine Corps training exercise accident that occurred around 10 p.m. local time, and involved servicemen from the 2nd Marine Division. The Marines were practicing firing mortars, reports CBS affiliate KTVN-TV in Reno, when one of the rounds exploded still inside the tube.
The Marines from North Carolina were training at the military facility near the small desert community of Hawthorne, about 140 miles southeast of Reno, because the train and altitude were similar to Afghanistan.
"We send our prayers and condolences to the families of Marines involved in this tragic incident. We remain focused on ensuring that they are supported through this difficult time," said Maj. Gen. Raymond C. Fox, II MEF commanding general, in a statement to the press. "We mourn their loss, and it is with heavy hearts we remember their courage and sacrifice."
The Marine Corps said it is withholding the identities of those killed until next of kin notification. The status of those injured has not been provided yet.
The Hawthorne Army Depot stores and disposes of ammunition. The facility is made up of hundreds of buildings spread over more than 230 square miles.
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.
It opened in September 1930 as the Naval Ammunition Depot Hawthorne, was redesignated Hawthorne Army Ammunition Plant in 1977 when it moved under the control of the Army, according to its website. In 1994, the site ended its production mission and became Hawthorne Army Depot. The site currently serves several purposes for the military, including storing ammunition and explosives and providing what the military calls an ideal training facility for special forces preparing for deployments to similar desert terrain in places like Afghanistan.
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