An artillery shell overshot its target by a half-mile Wednesday, killing three soldiers and wounding 23 others lined up in formation to leave their training site, the Army said.
Two more soldiers were killed Thursday at Fort Stewart, Ga., during firing exercises involving 4.2-inch mortars, the Army said. Details of that accident were not immediately released.In Wednesday's accident, a round from a howitzer overshot the target area and hit 10 to 15 feet behind the soldiers, authorities said.
If the artillery fired from a practice range had hit 10 to 15 minutes later, the rifle range would have been empty, said Lt. Col. John Dobbs.
"If you had to write a worst-case scenario where soldiers are injured or killed by artillery rounds out of the impact area, this is it," he said. "The round landed at a time when the soldiers were in a formation and were in close proximity."
The cause of the misfiring was under investigation. Dobbs said two possible explanations were that the howitzer was aimed incorrectly or the wrong amount of gunpowder was used.
Pvt. Jimmy N. McCain, 21, of Troy, Ala., and Spec. Thomas P. Boyle, 25, of Ventura, Calif., were killed, along with a third soldier whose name was withheld.
The injured were taken by helicopter and ambulance to Reynolds Army Hospital. Three of the most seriously wounded soldiers underwent surgery Wednesday night, said Jon Long, a post spokesman.
Two soldiers were listed in critical condition Thursday and four others were in serious condition. Sixteen others remained hospitalized and were in good condition.
The soldiers were a week away from completing an eight-week training course, said Staff Sgt. William Biel, a post spokesman. Fort Sill investigators were join Thursday by a team from the Army Safety Center in Fort Rucker, Ala. A preliminary report may not be ready for several days.