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US army probes death of nine soldiers in Texas base floods

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A probe has been launched into the death of nine soldiers caught in a flash-flood during a training exercise in Texas, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Saturday.

Authorities recovered the bodies of four soldiers Friday, a day after their vehicle flipped over in a rain-swollen creek at the vast military base of Fort Hood, Texas.

"We now know that nine soldiers died in the training incident at Fort Hood, and based on initial reports, it was a troop carrier that overturned in a stream," said Carter, speaking after a security summit in Singapore.

"The investigation's under way -- we will get to the bottom off this incident and others that occurred this week," Carter said.

Bodies of the other five victims were recovered Thursday.

The troops were on a training mission at the base when their light truck was caught in flash flooding, Christopher Haug, chief of media relations at Fort Hood military base, told AFP.

Major General John Uberti told reporters on Friday that three soldiers were rescued and are in stable condition "due to the quick action of some other soldiers that were training."

Texas has seen several days of severe storms, including in the area around Fort Hood, where the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle the soldiers were traveling in overturned.

An aerial search, canine units and swift water rescue boats were all deployed in response to the accident.

The Fort Hood Army base is located approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Houston.

Nearly 41,000 soldiers are stationed at the sprawling 87,000-hectare (215,000-acre) base.

A probe has been launched into the death of nine soldiers caught in a flash-flood during a training exercise in Texas, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said Saturday.

Authorities recovered the bodies of four soldiers Friday, a day after their vehicle flipped over in a rain-swollen creek at the vast military base of Fort Hood, Texas.

“We now know that nine soldiers died in the training incident at Fort Hood, and based on initial reports, it was a troop carrier that overturned in a stream,” said Carter, speaking after a security summit in Singapore.

“The investigation’s under way — we will get to the bottom off this incident and others that occurred this week,” Carter said.

Bodies of the other five victims were recovered Thursday.

The troops were on a training mission at the base when their light truck was caught in flash flooding, Christopher Haug, chief of media relations at Fort Hood military base, told AFP.

Major General John Uberti told reporters on Friday that three soldiers were rescued and are in stable condition “due to the quick action of some other soldiers that were training.”

Texas has seen several days of severe storms, including in the area around Fort Hood, where the Light Medium Tactical Vehicle the soldiers were traveling in overturned.

An aerial search, canine units and swift water rescue boats were all deployed in response to the accident.

The Fort Hood Army base is located approximately 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Houston.

Nearly 41,000 soldiers are stationed at the sprawling 87,000-hectare (215,000-acre) base.

AFP
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With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

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