Thunderstorm Allegedly Kills U.S. Army Soldiers During a Military Training in Georgia

Two U.S. Army soldiers were reportedly killed, while three others were injured in Georgia on Tuesday, August 9, due to an apparent "weather-related incident," according to local authorities.

It occurred during a military training at Yonah Mountain, which is situated around 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of the city of Atlanta.

The area is also located 170 miles (275 kilometers) northeast of Fort Benning.

Details of the incident went viral not only to media networks across the United States but also on social media, where various speculations of "other-worldly" causes could be responsible for the deaths of the US military members.

However, previous weather reports by US weather authorities revealed that a thunderstorm was brewing in some parts of Georgia at that time.

The so-called weather incident comes several weeks after a similar phenomenon transpired in Georgia, where a lightning strike resulted in multiple casualties targeting members of the U.S. Army Reserve on a range at Fort Gordon.

The event also occurred several months after a severe weather reportedly killed four American soldiers when their aircraft crashed in Norway back in March.

In the past, there have been several occurrences where the US military had been subjected to multiple weather hazards aside from thunderstorms.

Over the past decade, a number of US service members have died due to heat exposure amid rising temperatures.

These phenomena have reportedly shown that unprecedented extreme weather can be also fatal even for the military.

Weather-Related Incident

(Photo : Photo by DAVID MCNEW/AFP via Getty Images)

Information regarding the incident was released by the U.S. Army's Maneuver Center of Excellence and the Fort Benning Public Affairs Office in a statement, as cited by AccuWeather.

The announcement mentioned of the unspecified incident on Tuesday, where the injured military personnel were treated on site before being sent to local hospitals.

The weather forecasting company said details about what transpired have not been released as of the time of the latest reporting on Wednesday, August 10.

However, officials said the casualties were struck by a falling tree amid the rough weather, ABC News reported. 2nd Lt. Evan Fitzgibbon and Staff Sgt. George Taber reportedly died after succumbing to their injuries.

Also Read: Rising Temperatures Put U.S. Troops at Higher Risk, Report Finds

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Atlanta previously issued via Twitter a severe thunderstorm warning, affecting areas such as Yonah, Georgia, and Helen, Georgia, which expired on Tuesday afternoon.

The storm warning includes the threat of strong winds and quarter-sized hail. In relation to the said event, there were no immediate reports that suggested that the service members were hit by a lightning bolt or a tornado, which are both associated with the severe weather.

Georgia Lightning Strike

The Yonah Mountain weather-related event is the second instance involving weather to be the culprit behind Army casualties within a month.

The said lightning bolt at Fort Gordon in July killed one soldier and injured nine others.

The previous weather-related event happened in a site known as Training Area 26, which also received a "bad weather" during that time, according to ABC7 New York.

Related Article: Four American Soldiers Killed in an Aircraft Crash in Norway Because of Severe Weather