A training accident at Georgia’s Fort Stewart Army base has left three soldiers dead and three others injured, military officials said Sunday.
The six soldiers were participating in a training event when their Bradley Fighting Vehicle rolled over into water just before 3:30 a.m., the base said in a statement.
Three of the soldiers were pronounced dead at the scene. The three remaining soldiers were taken to Winn Army Community Hospital.
Two of them were treated and released while the third was taken to Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, with non-life threatening injuries. All six were part of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, which is stationed at Fort Stewart.
Maj. Gen. Tony Aguto, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division, called the incident “heartbreaking.”
“We are extremely saddened by the loss of three Dogface Soldiers and injuries to three more. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of the families affected by this tragedy,” he said in a statement.
The names of the soldiers had not been publicly released as of Sunday evening, as notification to next of kin was ongoing, the base said.
Fort Stewart, which is in Hinesville, Ga., is the largest Army installation east of the Mississippi River.