Two Marines die, two injured in military truck crash in North Carolina

Jan 19 (Reuters) – Two U.S. Marines were killed and two others were severely injured on Wednesday when the military truck they were riding in overturned near Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, local media reported, citing the state highway patrol.

The vehicle apparently was traveling too fast for the right-hand turn the driver was trying to make at a highway intersection, causing the truck to roll over, a highway patrol spokesperson told reporters at the scene.

Two Marines perished in the crash, according to television station WNCT-TV. Two others were flown by helicopter to an area hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries, the highway patrol spokesperson said in a briefing carried online by WNCT.

All four Marines were based at Camp Lejeune, a major training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina, in the southeastern corner of the state about 120 miles (193 km)southeast of Raleigh, the state capital.

A Twitter post from the 2nd Marine Logistics Group confirmed a vehicle rollover accident involving members assigned to that outfit and “multiple casualties.”

Video footage from the scene following the crash showed clear weather conditions. The highway patrol spokesman said the Marines were believed to be going about their “normal work duties” when the crash occurred.

Reporting by Eric Beech and Steve Gorman; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler

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