SAN DIEGO --
Divers, lifeguards, and an air ambulance are reportedly responding to an area on the border of Oceanside and Camp Pandleton where an amphibious vehicle belonging to the Marines has gone under the water.
There are initial reports that a Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle has flipped over or capsized at the Del Mar Boat Basin at Camp Pendleton.
“Recover efforts are underway” said I MEF spokesman Capt. Mike Alvarez. There are conflicting reports of how many Marines are aboard. Alvarez has initial reports that four Marines were aboard when the incident occurred, no information on what unit they belong to.
The Del Mar facility at Camp Pendleton is where they train all AAV’s. The vehicles are usually occupied by a crew of three plus an instructor.
At Marine HQ at the Pentagon, spokesman Maj. Carl Redding said there was one marine aboard. He says the AAV sank at the training area known as Camp Del Mar and that “rescue divers are on the scene.”
Alvarez doesn’t know the status of those individuals. He doesn’t have information about whether they were conducting training or what circumstances brought them to that area near the water.
Initial reports indicated divers at the scene of the incident were Oceanside lifeguards. An air ambulance has also reportedly been dispatched to the area.
One person was taken away by ambulance to a Mercy Air helicopter. Mercy Air transported the person to Scripps Mercy Hospital. The person's condition is unknown.
More details will be posted as they become available.
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