2 Marines Dead, Others Injured, After Crash At Bellows Air Force Station In Hawaii (UPDATED)

UPDATE: 2 Marines Dead After Military Aircraft Crashes At Bellows Air Force Station In Hawaii

UPDATE (Wednesday, May 20 HST): A second Marine has died from injuries sustained during Sunday's crash at Bellows Air Force Station in Hawaii, according to a Marine Corps spokesman. The Marine's identity will be released 24 hours after next of kin is notified.

Two Marines remain hospitalized, but in stable condition.

UPDATE (Tuesday, May 19 HST): The Marine killed during the Osprey crash at Bellows Air Force Station in Hawaii has been identified as 24-year-old Lance Corporal Joshua E. Barron of Washington.

UPDATE (Monday, May 18, 9:42 a.m. HST): One Marine remains in critical condition while three others are still hospitalized but in stable condition, according to Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Brian Block. The remaining Marines were treated and released.

The Marine Corps has contacted the deceased Marine's next of kin and won't release that person's identity until 24 hours after notification was made.

Original Story:

One Marine was killed and others injured Sunday morning after a military aircraft reportedly went down at Bellows Air Force Station in Waimanalo, Hawaii, sending plumes of smoke in the air that could be seen for miles.

According to an official statement released by the Marine Corps, the Marine was killed and 21 others were sent to the hospital after an MV-22 Osprey experienced a "hard-landing mishap":

One Marine was killed when an MV-22 Osprey from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit experience a hard-landing mishap while conducting training aboard Marine Corps Training Area – Bellows at approximately 11:40 a.m., Hawaii time. Twenty-two Marines were aboard at the time, and all other 21 have been transported to local hospitals for assessment and treatment.

The Marines were conducting routine sustainment training at the time. The 15th MEU departed San Diego May 10 on a seven-month deployment to the Pacific Command and Central Command areas of operation.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

The Associated Press reports that the injuries sustained by the other passengers ranged from critical to minor.

Honolulu fire crews were responding to the "hard landing" just after 11:45 a.m. local time, according to KITV.

Witnesses told Hawaii News Now that they saw three aircraft doing multiple rotations in the sky. Then, the three aircraft moved lower toward the ground, but only two came back up. The news station obtained the below footage of what appears to be the aircraft's hard landing.

Marine Corps spokesman Capt. Brian Block told The Huffington Post that "the Marines were conducting sustainment training while we are en route to CENTCOM on deployment."

The Marine Corps issued an earlier statement reporting that 12 injured Marines had been taken to the hospital:

An MV-22 Osprey from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit experienced a hard-landing mishap while conducting training aboard Marine Corps Training Area – Bellows at approximately 11:00 a.m., Hawaii time.

Twelve Marines have been transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Emergency services are on-scene and responding.

Several hospitals were on standby to assist with the injured, and a city bus was activated to help transport victims, KHON-2 reports.

Bellows is reportedly used as a training facility for Marines and other military personnel. Marine Corps Base Hawaii had issued a statement Friday alerting residents that there would be increased noise over the weekend due to "amphibious operations and air training” at Bellows. It wasn't immediately clear whether this crash had any connection to that mission.

This story is being updated as it develops.

Osprey crash at Bellows #HInews @HawaiiNewsNow pic.twitter.com/UfnMwYLdd5

β€” Nat (@nanigurl) May 17, 2015

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