Five Fort Hood soldiers were killed midday Thursday when a vehicle overturned after getting stuck attempting to cross a creek during a training exercise, the Army said.
By nightfall, an extensive search had failed to locate four others who were missing.
Three soldiers were rescued. Personnel combed the rugged training area with aircraft, dogs, heavy equipment and swift-water rescue boats.
The 1st Cavalry Division soldiers were conducting routine training maneuvers on the northeast side of Fort Hood, a 214,868-acre installation, when a call for a swift-water rescue was received at 11:20 a.m. Thursday.
Few details were available, but a brief statement issued by Fort Hood said a Light-Medium Tactical Vehicle, or LMTV, had become stuck “in an area near Cold Springs and Owl Creek off of East Range Road.”
Fort Hood search parties still were working through the heavily wooded and steep terrain after dark.
The post said no decision had been made on suspending the rescue operation for the night, but noted that “the safety of our crews conducting the search is continually assessed.”
A Fort Hood spokesman, Tyler Broadway, said soldiers had been killed while training at the post since his arrival there in 2003 but “nothing like this,” involving such a large number of potential casualties in a swiftwater accident.
“I don’t recall any other accident of this scope,” he said.
Broadway said it was too early to know what had happened at the creek. The soldiers who died were not identified pending notification of their relatives.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those soldiers who were lost,” he said.
The 1st Cavalry’s commander, Maj. Gen. John C. Thompson III, issued a statement late in the evening on Facebook saying the incident occurred Thursday morning during flash flooding conditions.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of several troopers and continue search operations,” he said. “Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated during this difficult time as we care for the families, loved ones and fellow soldiers of those impacted by this tragedy.”
The three soldiers who were rescued were recovering at the post’s hospital. They were in stable condition after being taken from Coryell Memorial Healthcare System in Gatesville to Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center.
The bodies of those killed were recovered downsteam from their LMTV, a four-wheeled, diesel-powered truck that has a 21/2-ton carrying capacity.
The training accident marks the second major loss of life on the post since just before Thanksgiving.
A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter aircraft with four crew members crashed during a routine training mission Nov. 23, also in the northeast portion on Fort Hood’s range. Emergency crews found the bodies of four Black Hawk crew members, who served in the 1st Army’s Division West, in roughly the same area where Thursday’s incident occurred.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the soldiers, their families and the Fort Hood community, and continue to be with those still unaccounted for,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement, adding that the state was ready to help Fort Hood.
“The brave men and women stationed at Fort Hood and across our country put their lives on the line every day, and be it through rescue operations or on the battlefield, Texas will forever remain grateful for their sacrifices,” he added.
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