Missing soldiers found dead at Fort Hood

Search parties by helicopters and boats search Lake Belton Lake in between Kileen and Temple, Texas on Friday, June 3, 2016, for the remaining missing soldiers that were washed away in floods yesterday at Fort Hood. less Search parties by helicopters and boats search Lake Belton Lake in between Kileen and Temple, Texas on Friday, June 3, 2016, for the remaining missing soldiers that were washed away in floods yesterday at Fort ... more Photo: Bob Owen Photo: Bob Owen Image 1 of / 41 Caption Close Missing soldiers found dead at Fort Hood 1 / 41 Back to Gallery

FORT HOOD — The four soldiers who were still missing at Fort Hood were found dead during an extensive search Friday, bringing the number of those killed when their vehicle was swept off a low water crossing to nine.

A Fort Hood general Friday said the deaths of the soldiers swept away with their tactical vehicle by a flooded creek on a training range were a "tragedy" but provided few details about how it occurred.

Four other soldiers had been missing after an extensive search that began Thursday and searchers had remained hopeful a full 24 hours after the incident and said that the operation was a search-and-rescue mission, though hope that the missing soldiers had survived was waning.

"But you never know," Capt. Scott Jurk, a Texas game warden, said near Lake Belton, which became a focus of the search because the creek drains into it. "It's always a rescue operation if you find someone alive."

Law enforcement and emergency responders from the Fort Hood area and state, more than 170 in all, had joined in the search, said Maj. Gen. John Uberti, deputy commander of III Corps and Fort Hood, who confirmed the grim results of the search at an evening press conference.

Earlier, Uberti had praised the "quick action of some other soldiers that were training" who rescued the three injured troopers. All three were released from Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday and were at home with their families, Uberti said at an evening press conference.

RELATED: Death toll in Fort Hood training incident rises to 5

The three soldiers were rescued Thursday in the aftermath of the mishap, which occurred during a small-unit training operation.

"It was a situation where the rain had come, the water was rising quickly and we were in the process, at the moment of the event," of closing the road, said post spokesman Chris Haug said.

Soldiers and other rescue personnel combed the rugged training area with aircraft, dogs, heavy equipment and swift-water rescue boats. Law enforcement and emergency response agencies from the Fort Hood area were involved in the search Friday.

The 1st Cavalry Division soldiers were conducting routine training maneuvers on the northeast side of Fort Hood, a 214,868-acre installation, when a call for a swift-water rescue was received at 11:20 a.m. Thursday.

Haug would not discuss details about how the survivors were rescued or if the if the soldiers were taken by surprise by a rise of high water.

"They were out on the range. They regularly pass through weather conditions like this, this was a tactical vehicle and at the time they were in a proper place for what they were training," he said. "It was just an unfortunate accident that occurred quickly."

In the training scenario, 12 soldiers were in the Light-Medium Tactical Vehicle, a large four-wheeled diesel truck, and attempted to navigate a designated low-water crossing, Haug said.

The Army said the LMTV had become stuck "in an area near Cold Springs and Owl Creek off of East Range Road," heavily wooded and steep. Owl Creek empties into Lake Belton.

The operation continued through night as the post issued a statement saying "the safety of our crews conducting the search is continually assessed." Agencies from the state and all five communities around Fort Hood were assisting, Haug said.

None of the soldiers who died will be publicly identified until the families of all of them have been notified, the Army said.

The 1st Cavalry's commander, Maj. Gen. John C. Thompson III, issued a statement late Thursday evening on Facebook saying the incident occurred Thursday morning during flash flooding conditions.

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of several troopers and continue search operations," he said.

"Your thoughts and prayers are greatly appreciated during this difficult time as we care for the families, loved ones and fellow soldiers of those impacted by this tragedy."

The training accident marks the second major loss of life on the post since just before Thanksgiving.

A UH-60L Black Hawk helicopter aircraft with four crew members crashed during a routine training mission Nov. 23, also in the northeast portion on Fort Hood's range. Emergency crews found the bodies of four Black Hawk crew members, who served in the 1st Army's Division West, in roughly the same area where Thursday's incident occurred.

Haug declined to rank the incident in terms of other tragedies at the post, which include last winter's helicopter crash and a two mass shootings here that have left 64 people dead and wounded since 2009, saying, "The loss of one soldier is a tragedy."

Fort Hood has received “an enormous outpouring of donation support” both locally and nationally, said Col. Todd Fox, Fort Hood Garrison commander, in a statement issued by the post’s press office, which said help for the families of those affected was being accepted by its Directorate of Family, Morale, Welfare and Recreation and the American Red Cross.

Families seeking information should call the Fort Hood Family Assistance Center at 254-288-7570 or 866-836-2751.

The Red Cross can be reached at 254-200-4400 or by visiting waco.redcross.org.

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