Two U.S. Army soldiers were killed and at least three more were injured in a weather-related incident on Tuesday in Georgia.
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The soldiers were training at Fort Benning’s Maneuver Center of Excellence. In a statement to American Military News, a Fort Benning spokesperson said the soldiers were training on Yonah Mountain in North Georgia at the time of the weather-related incident.
The Army has not yet released the names of the two deceased service members. The statement said the names are being withheld until next-of-kin notifications are complete, as is typical in cases like this.
The Army also offered few details about the injured soldiers.
“Injured personnel were treated by Army medics before being transferred to a local hospital,” the Fort Benning statement read. “Three service members remain under the care of hospital staff.”
The Army statement did not specify the nature of Tuesday’s weather-related incident or how the soldiers were killed or injured.
Local weather forecasts showed thunderstorms in the area on Tuesday.
Tuesday’s incident wasn’t the first time soldiers were killed in a weather-related incident in Georgia.
Less than a month ago, an Army soldier was killed and nine others were injured after a lightning strike at the range where they were training on at Fort Gordon. The Army identified the deceased soldier as 41-year-old Sgt. 1st Class Michael D. Clark, an operating room specialist assigned to 933rd Forward Resuscitative Surgical Company, 3rd Medical Command (Deployment Support).
The deadly lightning strike at Fort Gordon last month is at least the second time U.S. military personnel were injured by lightning this year.
In May, a U.S. Air Force Airman stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas was injured after lightning struck nearby. Base officials said coworkers of the unidentified Airman called for the base’s emergency services immediately after the strike. The Airman was reported conscious when first responders arrived and completed an initial assessment. The Airman was transported to a nearby hospital to undergo further evaluation and treatment.
Yonah Mountain is located about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta and 170 miles northeast of Fort Benning. The Army uses the area for a variety of training purposes, including the “mountain” phase of Ranger training.
