Defense

Two soldiers killed, 12 injured in Alaska vehicle crash

A Light Medium Tactical Vehicle leaves the Alaska National Guard Armory on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska on Jan. 5. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Victoria Granado/DVIDS)

Two Army soldiers were killed and 12 more injured when their transport truck flipped on a road in a remote part of Alaska early Monday, the Army announced.

The soldiers were traveling down a dirt road en route to the Yukon Training Area in central Alaska when the truck flipped, The Associated Press reported. There were 17 soldiers of the 11th Airborne Division in the vehicle at the time.

Two of the injured soldiers were airlifted to a hospital in Anchorage, with the remaining injured treated in Fairbanks, Army spokesman John Pennell told the AP. Their conditions were not made available.

“We’re a real tight-knit group in the military, so right now, the entire 11th Airborne Division is grieving and preparing to provide whatever support is necessary for the families of the deceased and to help support those who are still in the hospital and dealing with their injuries,” Pennell said.

The Army will investigate the crash, including sending an investigatory team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Alabama, Pennell told the AP.

The names of the soldiers will be released after families are notified.