CALIFORNIA - First the Navy fire and now the latest naval tank sinking in the sea, the tests of the US Navy began to increase.
According to the US Broadcasting Corporation, a US Marine was killed and eight others were missing in what became known as the Cold War.
Authorities said Friday that the amphibious vehicle was carrying 15 U.S. Marines and a Navy officer.
Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, a Marine Corps spokesman for the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, said Thursday evening that the tank-like vehicle was heading toward a fleet from the island of San Clement when soldiers on board Reported that the car was flooded.
According to a statement issued by the Marine Corps, two Marines who survived the crash were injured, one in critical condition and the other in stable condition.
On Friday, military boats and helicopters searched for the missing Marines. The US Navy-owned island is 112 kilometers off the coast of San Diego.
The Marine Corps statement said the vehicle was involved in routine exercises when it was reported that the vehicle was being filled with water.
In a statement issued by the Marines, the unit's commanding officer, Col. Christopher Bronze, said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Col. Bronze has called on the public to remember Marines, Marines and their families in their prayers.
This is the third accident involving AMFBS vehicles at Camp Pendleton in less than a decade, including Thursday's crash, in which U.S. Marines were killed or injured.
This sea-going tank-like vehicle is used to transport troops and military equipment from navies to land. The vehicle is armed with machine guns and grenade launchers and looks like a tank.
