Marine dies during training exercise at Camp Pendleton

A United States Marine lost their life during a training operation on Wednesday at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, according to military officials.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:45 p.m. local time and involved an accident with a tactical vehicle during a routine exercise. The Marine later died from the injuries sustained in the mishap, the I Marine Expeditionary Force confirmed.

The identity of the service member has not been released, as officials are waiting to notify the next of kin. An investigation into the exact cause of the incident is currently underway.

Camp Pendleton is in the middle of a large, annual training operation known as Steel Knight, which includes live-fire drills using high-explosive munitions and is scheduled to continue through Sunday. However, military officials stated that this fatal incident was not connected to those live-fire exercises.

In recent years, vehicle-related accidents have remained one of the most frequent non-combat causes of death among members of the U.S. armed forces. Previous investigations have often linked such fatalities to the absence or failure of seat belts in military vehicles.

The I Marine Expeditionary Force, based along the coastline approximately 40 miles north of San Diego, is the largest of the Marine Corps three expeditionary forces.

Author: Zoe Harrison