1 Dead, 20 Injured in West Point Training Accident

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At least one West Point cadet has been killed and several others injured after an accident near a training site in New York State.

The U.S. Military Academy said a vehicle overturned on a dirt road near the Camp Natural Bridge training site at about 6:45 a.m., Thursday. Twenty cadets and two soldiers on the light medium tactical vehicle were injured.

WNBC-TV reports West Point’s public affairs office is describing the situation as “chaotic.”

New York State Trooper Steven Nevel said troopers were headed to the location of the accident as needed.

Retired Major Gen. James “Spider” Marks, a CNN military analyst, said cadets go to the site during the summer for “vigorous military training.”

Cadets take part in field training exercises during their second summer at West Point. That training “is designed to familiarize and train each Third Class cadet in basic and advanced individual Soldier skills,” states the West Point website.

“Training is conducted in combined arms operations, introducing the cadets to the combat, combat support and combat service support branches of the U.S. Army,” the site says.

(WNBC-TV and KRISTV contributed to this report)