2 soldiers die, 3 hurt training in Georgia

FORT BENNING, Ga. — Two soldiers based at Fort Benning, Ga., died and three were injured in a weather-related incident Tuesday during training on a mountain in the northern part of the state, Army officials said.

An Army spokesperson told WAGA-TV that the deceased soldiers, whose names have not yet been released, were at Yonah Mountain for a training program at the Maneuver Center of Excellence. The injured soldiers were treated by Army personnel before being taken to a hospital.

The Army conducts training on Yonah Mountain, including the Ranger School’s Mountain Phase. Soldiers who train on the mountain typically will report out of Camp Merrill in the northern part of the state.

Yonah Mountain is about 70 miles northeast of Atlanta and 170 miles northeast of Fort Benning.

This is the second deadly incident involving soldiers stationed in Georgia in the past month. In late July, Sgt. 1st Class Michael Clark was killed by a lightning strike at Fort Gordon near Augusta. Nine other soldiers were injured in the incident.